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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26755444">SUCKER III</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/nakamoon/pseuds/kai%20of%20the%20wild'>kai of the wild (nakamoon)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCT (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - 1990s, Alternate Universe - Vampire, M/M, gay people are dramatic, i happen to think qian kun is real sexy, madonna and nirvana references</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 12:47:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>33,101</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26755444</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/nakamoon/pseuds/kai%20of%20the%20wild</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It wasn't supposed to be more than a small crush from a safe distance, where he could admire from far away. But situations happen. Life or death situations. And Johnny's one-second decision changes his whole, eternal, undead life.</p><p>or: Johnny is a vampire in the 90s. He bites Ten.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung, the dojae is mentioned a lot but it's very side</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>63</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>339</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. an introduction to vampiric attractions</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunspears/gifts">sunspears</a>.</li>



    </ul><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>
  <span class="small">Hello, welcome to spooky month! Finally... this baby is done! Here we are, a vampire johnten fic that I hope you can enjoy. This was for sure such a wild ride for me to write but nonetheless, fun. Very fun.</span>
  <br/>
  <span class="small">Huge thank you to Yesi, your brain is so big and I'm forever thankful you trusted me with this idea, I hope you like this story, it ended up taking a big place in my heart, thank you. Ofc, thank you to Sana too ;;; you really just went above and beyond!! I'm always grateful that you're so supportive ;; !! Thank you to sam for editing every chapter of this story and patiently waiting for the next one, thank you for helping me so much with ideas and characters and just overall being the greatest. I'm happy you get to read some johnten for once!  </span>
</p><p>Hope you guys enjoy this silly vampire story during spooky month~!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><strong>"How do we seem to you?<br/></strong> <strong>Do you find us beautiful and magical? </strong><br/><strong>Our white skin, our fierce eyes? <em>Drink</em>, you ask me.<br/></strong> <strong>Do you have any idea of the things you will become?" </strong></p><p> </p><p>
  <span class="small"><strong>- </strong>Interview with a Vampire </span>
</p><p>ⅰ</p><p>
  <strong>1993, Seoul, South Korea</strong>
</p><p>The music is deafening to Johnny's ears, the thrumming vibrations in his eardrum echoing. He pays it no mind, however - he's visited many a time this nightclub and so, he is more than used to the loud music.</p><p>He is not there to talk or make conversation, he isn't even there for the music; Johnny is here for the drinks.</p><p>"Excuse me," he waves, "Can I have a Vieux Carré?"</p><p>The bartender gives him a smile and a thumbs up and Johnny nods back politely. He turns back to face the dancefloor, where people are dancing closely together, sticky and sexual. Once again, Johnny pays it no mind, he is not here to dance nor hook up. He is here for the drinks.</p><p>He bobs his head to the music, not recognizing the popular radio-friendly song playing in the background, but it’s nice enough—at least it’s not one of the thrumming electronic songs that make his head throb after a few plays. <em>I think Mark would like it, </em>he thinks. Not Jaehyun, but definitely Mark, he’s the type to find good in most things after all. Perhaps next time he could invite him to tag along, although, it is not like Johnny ever minds a little solitude on Friday nights. Or most nights, for that matter.</p><p>Johnny’s spine shivers before he sees her. A stranger slides up to him, clinging to his arm. He can feel her light grip around his arm, her pointy acrylic nails jabbing into him. "Hey there," she whispers into his ears, moist air tickling him before he shudders.</p><p>"Hey," Johnny smiles back, lips pulled tight. When he removes himself from the stranger's grip, it doesn't deter her. She pounces back, lipstick smile bright against the dark background.</p><p>"Do you want to go to the washroom?" She purrs, her blonde locks messy and sticking to her forehead.</p><p>Before Johnny can reply, the ever-gracious bartender comes to his rescue, placing the drink right in between Johnny and the girl. "Here you go, sir, your girlfriend left this for you."</p><p>"My girlfriend," Johnny clears his throat, "How lovely of her.”</p><p>When the girl hears this, she grunts and rolls her eyes, removing herself from him. She takes Johnny’s drink and gives it a sip before spitting it back into the glass, “What the hell is this?” Johnny looks mournfully at the now ruined drink before the drunk girl saunters away, onto the next person.</p><p>Johnny sighs and looks at his watch. <em>3:15. </em>It's almost time to leave, just like he does every Friday.</p><p>He's never been much for partying but this whole nightclub has a nice thing going on. Even if the music is too loud, the people are way too drunk and the dancefloor too small. The drinks are good. The drinks are what makes Johnny come back every week.</p><p>The way to the exit is crowded and hot and Johnny hates the feeling of being asphyxiated by dancing bodies, but he eventually makes it through, dusting his black dress shirt with an indignant sniff.</p><p>There's a buzzing vibration coming from his jean pocket, and Johnny doesn't have to wonder who it's from.</p><p>
  <em>Are you coming over to my place?</em>
</p><p>He types out a quick reply before pocketing his cellphone.<em> Sure, I am on my way. </em></p><p>Jaehyun was right, these Motorola devices are the future. Johnny doesn't miss his pager.</p><p>He waves a polite goodbye to the bouncer, a burly foreigner who, by now, recognizes his face. Johnny appreciates that—not everyone from the nightclub staff remembers him.</p><p>The streets look empty and dark, with only the muffled sounds of all the clubs around the area resonating in the distance, the bass heavy in the atmosphere. His feet take him a few streets over, where he knows there's benches scattered around. The wind is chilly but Johnny doesn't feel it, a light black shirt as his only protection from the cold winter weather. However, he lights up a cigarette, the noble idea that it can warm him up sounds good enough.</p><p>Johnny likes the dramatic effect a good cigarette in the middle of a cold night can have. He feels like the protagonist of a mysterious romance novel. Or perhaps a detective that can't quite crack a serial killer case. However, Johnny Seo thinks he is neither smart enough to be a criminal detective nor charming enough to star in anything remotely romantic. Some would argue that he is mysterious but most of it is hearsay, he will assure you.</p><p>Mostly, he just likes to play old-school music in the turntable his mother gave him for his 18th birthday. That, and people-watch.</p><p><em>Seo Joo</em>, he decides on a name before scribbling on the small moleskine he carries everywhere. <em>A little drunk. Perhaps drinking to forget a past love? A current love? Smelled like peach and vodka. A tinge of sadness in her eyes.</em></p><p>Johnny writes about people, makes up his own stories because it’s a nice way to pass time. Mark thinks it’s a little funny, but then again, Mark has never been much of a sensitive type, at least not when it comes to people. Johnny takes his word for granted.</p><p>Some days he encounters college students in a bakery, stressed and on the verge of tears; other days, he writes about old men in the park, feeding ducks and reminiscing about their younger selves. Others, like today, are about drunk girls who try to hit on him at the club. It's an endless amount of people, day after day. He likes it, they make him feel a little more grounded. He thinks humans are absolutely wonderful, interesting creatures. Not very different from himself. Just a little—well, just a little less immortal.</p><p>Lost in his own thoughts, Johnny almost misses the sound of quick, fervent steps against pavement not too far away from him. It breaks him out of his reverie, making his head look up in a snap. It all happens so quickly.</p><p>"I'll get you, bitch!"</p><p>Two silhouettes run across the street, on the other side of the desolate park. Johnny looks on curiously at the scene before he can realize what's happening.</p><p>"Fuck you!" Is the second man's reply as he is thrown against the floor with violence and Johnny stands up in a jump, an instant reaction—not to the attack, but to the second man’s voice.</p><p>It happens before Johnny’s feet take off, before he can even understand what's going on, a flurry of images that flash in front of him, a scream of pain. The wet sound of broken glass against flesh.</p><p>"Motherfucker," the man on the floor whimpers after his aggressor, who, as soon as he sees Johnny charging at them, makes a run for it.</p><p>Johnny doesn't even dare to spare the man a glance, his eyes solely on the figure laying on the cold pavement, crimson blood pooling around his body.</p><p>He looks up at Johnny, his eyes shiny and bright, a twisted smile on his face, clearly in pain as a trickle of blood drips down the corner of his lips, "Are you here to save me or do you wanna take a stab at me too?"</p><p>"No, no, no," Johnny whispers, frantic. He kneels next to the man, his t-shirt a bloodied mess of red. A shard of a broken vodka glass is next to him, equally as stained with the man's blood. Johnny puts his hands on the his stomach, trying to do something—anything—to stop the bleeding. And look at him, so pretentious, so all-knowing yet Johnny knows shit on how to save this mortal’s life. Even if he somehow knew, Johnny thinks it wouldn't do much good, he can see, he can <em>feel </em>the other's life slip away from him, the shining eyes getting duller and duller.</p><p>No, he repeats in his head. This wasn't supposed to be like this. Not him, not <em>Ten.</em></p><p>Out of all the hundreds of people Johnny met and looked at from afar, out of all the people he quietly observed—Ten was Johnny's favorite.</p><p>So full of life, so bright, so charming. Johnny loved seeing Ten live, Johnny loved seeing him under the club's neon lights every Friday night, seeing him smile as he made drinks at the bar, seeing him charm people with nice words and twinkling laughs. Ten was an exceptional human, one whom Johnny loved watching. And now—</p><p>It wasn't supposed to be like this. Ten was supposed to grow older and navigate through life, Johnny was supposed to watch him occasionally, witness his favorite little human whom he didn't know much about, up until the day he took his last breath, after a well-lived life of peace. That's what he wanted for Ten, that's what he deserved.</p><p>"I wish I would've taken a tequila shot before this," Ten sighs, as if accepting his fate as a stranger wordlessly cradles him in his arms.</p><p>But Johnny can't accept it. Perhaps it is a moment of clouded judgment, perhaps something pulls at Johnny’s heartstrings—a reminder that life is precious.</p><p>It doesn't take much to do what he does next. He's a little brainless, Jaehyun would say, and maybe this time Johnny can agree.</p><p>"What—what are you doing?" Ten stammers out, somehow still conscious enough.</p><p>The moment Johnny’s fangs touch Ten's neck, he sees stars. He should be thinking about far more important stuff, but for a moment, all he can think about is how <em>delicious </em>Ten is.</p><p>It's been decades since Johnny had a taste of human blood like this, straight from a warm, beating body. He doesn't remember it being this good, so delectable. He sucks and sucks, drinking Ten’s blood. Johnny moves back, admiring the other man’s neck that is now adorned with two perfect punctures. And just before Ten can take his last, delicate breath, Johnny bites again, this time harder, giving the human a few drops of his own blood.</p><p>He expects the other to writhe in pain at the sting on his neck.</p><p>"Fuck," Ten moans instead and Johnny pauses for a moment, blinking at the other’s open-mouthed groan.</p><p>"Why are there three of you?" Ten asks, "Did you drug me? Am I drugged? Why is it so hot? It’s getting hot, oh my god, help, it’s getting hot.”</p><p>Johnny closes his eyes one last time, taking in a deep breath. He didn't expect his night to go like this at all. All he wanted was a drink.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” he says. For what he just did and for what he's about to do.</p><p>Johnny punches the lights out of Ten with one swift hit.</p><p>ⅱ</p><p>The moment he takes Ten into his vampire lair, Johnny regrets ever making this god awful decision. Yes, perhaps Johnny liked the guy a little more than all the other humans he knew, even if Ten didn't think of him as more than a regular patron at the club.</p><p>He liked Ten, however, that did not mean he could just turn anyone he held affinity to, even if they were on the brink of death. The Vampiric Council of Seoul had very stringent rules on turning humans. Nowadays, with all these rules, it was better for vampires to limit their interactions with humans altogether.</p><p>Still, even with this knowledge, Johnny stares at Ten's sweaty forehead as his body battles out vampirism. Not every human body is strong enough to be undead. He doesn't know if Ten will make it out of this unscathed and reborn or if his body will give out eventually, finally resting in peace.</p><p>Despite knowing the consequences, Johnny wishes hard enough, staring at Ten intently as his knuckles turn white—he wishes for Ten to live and open his eyes, to come back, even if undead.</p><p>It lasts two days.</p><p>For the most part, he stays away from the room Ten is sleeping in. A guest room in the corner of Johnny's solitaire mansion. Once in a while there's groaning and yelling, lots of pain, but every time Johnny checks up on him, Ten is unconscious.</p><p>
  <em>Is everything alright? You never came by yesterday.</em>
</p><p>Johnny pockets the phone. It's not like he wants to ignore Jaehyun so blatantly, but perhaps involving him in this situation is not the best idea, he doesn't want his friend to get in trouble by default of association.</p><p>"Well, John, you did it," he says to himself, dead in all senses of the word as he sips his red wine, eyes on the table, "You fucked up. More than usual, congratulations."</p><p>"Seriously," he sips more wine, "Out of all things, you just <em>had </em>to bite a human. If I go to trial over this Jaehyun will never let me forget it."</p><p><em>Maybe I can just leave him in front of his house, </em>he thinks, making his way to Ten's bedroom, long robe being dragged against the floor. <em>No one has to know anything, he's unconscious, after all. </em>Yeah, yeah, it would majorly suck to wake up out of a blood-induced coma and find yourself a walking dead—no one ever said being a vampire is easy. Ten would just have to learn. By himself. Tough luck.</p><p>"He’d just end up killing a bunch of humans and<em> then </em>I’d really go under the guillotine," he shakes his head, empty glass wine in his hands as he opens the door.</p><p>He expects Ten to be in a writhing episode yet again, however, he is unmoving. Johnny walks cautiously towards the man, a foreboding feeling coursing through him. Ten isn't moving. At all.</p><p>"He's dead," Johnny says, lamenting everything about the situation. "Dead for sure."</p><p>It’s the first time of many, but in that moment, Ten defies Johnny; he opens his eyes, the scarlet flame of the undead flickering on the surface.</p><p>"I’m hungry.”</p><p>A new vampire is born.</p><p>ⅲ</p><p>“I want a phone call,” Ten barks out, circling around Johnny like a lion would a deer.</p><p>“This is not prison, Ten.” Johnny says in a smooth tone, both of them cautiously dancing around the kitchen table, staring the other down. Ten breaks eye contact and Johnny follows his sight. His beaten-down, old landline phone hangs from the kitchen wall.</p><p>There's a single beat of unmoving silence before both jump forward towards the phone.</p><p>Johnny thanks his long limbs for once, for he reaches the phone before Ten does. Fledglings, although faster than humans, are usually slow and clumsy, at least during the first days.</p><p>“Give me the phone! I need to call my mom!”</p><p>Johnny shakes his head, dangling the phone well above Ten’s reach, “You said you wanted to call the police.”</p><p>Ten’s face twists in anger, “Yeah! Because I’m kidnapped! By a lunatic!”</p><p>“I did not kidnap you, let’s get that straight.” He elbows Ten, who doubles over in pain, “I saved your life. Do you not remember that?”</p><p>“I remember some drunk asshole from the club following me after I got out of there,” Ten sobers up for a moment, lost in thought, “He hit me in the head with a cinderblock and then stabbed me with a broken bottle.”</p><p>“He killed you,” Johnny says. He can’t imagine hearing these words are easy on anyone. Especially someone whose own mortality is precious and fragile. “Or tried to kill you. It was me who ended up doing the deed, I suppose. To <em>save</em> your life, may I add.” Johnny doesn't want to ask <em>why </em>the man was chasing Ten down, and honestly, he doesn't think he wants to know. Instead, he looks down at the small splotches starting to bruise on his arm, “If I’d known you would react so badly I wouldn’t have done it.”</p><p>“Right,” Ten rolls his eyes, “How could I forget that,<em> Mr. Vampire.</em> If I can even call you that.”</p><p>“No, you cannot. Johnny is fine.”</p><p>“I know you,” he accuses, pointing a finger at him, “You come by every Friday and order the same drink every time. Vieux Carrié. I never forget a face nor an order. Especially something as ridiculous as that.”</p><p>Johnny’s mouth goes dry, he didn’t think Ten would actually remember him. In fact, the whole ordeal is a bit too surreal right now. Having Ten in front of him, like this, <em>in his house</em>. The human he’s been secretly observing and admiring for so long is in front of him.</p><p>“Clubbing brings me joy,” he says.</p><p>“You never dance though.”</p><p>“Not important. Enough. There are more important matters to discuss,” Johnny clears his throat, “Ten, you’re a vampire. And I’m sorry if you didn’t want this, I truly apologize but—well, I did what I thought was best at the time.” Now that Ten is in front of him, being undead and blinking up at him, the matter is starting to settle in Johnny’s brain. He turned Ten into a <em>vampire. </em>There’s no going back; with one single bite, Johnny changed Ten’s whole life forever. He’s feeling sick at the prospect. Vampirism is as much of a blessing as it is a curse.</p><p>“Vampires aren’t real,” Ten deadpans, still eyeing the phone in Johnny’s hands. “So, you’re either lying or crazy. Either way, you’ve kidnapped me. I appreciate you saving me but it’s time to let me go, Johnny.”</p><p>“Ten,” he slams his hand on the wall, inching his face closer to Ten’s. He thought it’d be intimidating, cool, maybe, like in the movies. For a moment, as Ten looks up at him with wide-eyes, he thinks he’s succeeded. But then he realizes how close his face is to Ten’s and Johnny regrets it immediately, flushing red and taking a step back. The doorbell rings and Johnny ignores it.</p><p>Ten raises a single eyebrow, mouth twitching upwards, not quite a smirk, it’s softer, amused. “What?”</p><p>“You should believe me, I don’t want to harm you,” Johnny says mildly, clearing his throat. “Why would I be lying about this?”</p><p>There’s silence on Ten’s end for the first time since he woke up. He turns his head, pondering, “I don’t think you’re going to harm me,” he pauses, “But I do think you’re a little crazy and I just want to go home—<em>ngh</em>.” Ten recoils. Johnny panics as Ten doubles over with closed eyes, hands on his stomach.</p><p>“Ten?” Johnny closes the distance between them, “What’s wrong?”</p><p>Ten doesn’t reply, his face scrunched up, clearly in pain, and an uneasy feeling settles at the pit of Johnny’s stomach. <em>Fuck.</em></p><p>“Ten can you hear me?”</p><p>“It hurts,” he manages to gasp out, “Stomach.”</p><p>Things going from bad to worse. Excellent. “Listen to me, Ten,” Johnny kneels down, hands cautious as he tries to lower Ten’s upper body. He can see veins bulging out from the other’s neck, pulsating as hot tears well up on the corner of Ten’s eyes. “You’re hungry. This is normal. Your body wants blood at any cost. We’ll get you some, but you have to be strong first. You have to tell your body that you’re the one in control.”</p><p>“I’m not,” Ten says, falling to his knees against the hard linoleum floor.</p><p>“You are,” he shakes his head, Johnny holds onto his hand. A fledgling’s first Hunger is not easy at all, it is probably one of the most excruciating experiences a vampire can go through, perhaps just right after The Death. Going through both of them in a matter of days is too cruel, it’s the price they pay, he supposes, for immortality. Right now, Ten doesn’t know how to control his body, every fiber of his being must be on fire.</p><p>“I said I can’t,” he wheezes. Johnny pats him on the back.</p><p>“Look, just breathe in,” he takes an exaggerated breath of air and holds it before exhaling, “And then <em>out.</em> Just like yoga, alright?”</p><p>“<em>Fuck your yoga!</em>” Ten says but it is not his usual voice, a deep guttural noise growls at Johnny. He looks down at Ten and sees his red eyes glowing brighter, pupils dilated.</p><p>Ten, in fact, is not able to control it.</p><p>Just before his face gets shredded into bloody pieces, Johnny jumps back, evading Ten’s sharp fangs by a mere, tragic inch. This is not good. A hungry fledgling is bad news. Johnny sighs, all he wanted was to drink his wine in peace. Not a lot to ask for from an immortal being.</p><p>“I’m going to eat you,” Ten salivates like a madman, clearly out of it, and Johnny has no idea how to respond to that. He pauses, the silence in the kitchen palpable for a few seconds.</p><p>Johnny bolts out of there.</p><p>He runs through the narrow hallway from the kitchen to the main staircase, the sound of Ten’s frantic steps close behind. Without having to look back, Johnny can tell Ten is nimble and fast, he must’ve been so as a human, and now, even as a fledgling, he gives Johnny a run for his money.</p><p><em>Fuck, fuck, fuck, </em>he thinks. Will Ten be able to kill Johnny? Not likely—but that doesn’t mean Johnny is fond of being mauled and attacked by a lunatic. Vampires can still scar and bleed and that’s a huge <em>no</em>.</p><p>They both whir past the various rooms of the manor’s second floor, all empty and echoing, witnessing the Lord of Seo Manor being ridiculed and chased in his own home by a baby vampire. This cannot be. Johnny’s nails dig into his palms as he surges forward, entering his beloved library, aware that Ten will soon follow.</p><p>He sighs on the inside, his library really is too precious, full of books and rare parchments that he likes to collect. In a little hidden corner, his cheap romance novels are carefully placed in alphabetical order. He hopes Ten doesn’t trip over anything, he’s put hours upon hours into organizing his personal library.</p><p>In the few seconds it takes for Ten to follow him into the room, Johnny moves in swift motion behind the door, hiding from sight. And then, when Ten makes his way in, Johnny simply kicks him on the butt, sending him flying across the floor before exiting and locking the door behind him.</p><p>Soon, the door rattles. “Let me out and give me your blood!” Ten yells, probably foaming at the mouth like a wildman, the image making Johnny shudder. He takes a minute to recollect himself, leaning on the door, exhausted. When was the last time he ran like this? He fixes his hair with an indignant sniff and tightens his robe closer to him.</p><p>“Ten, you need to calm down!” he shouts, “I will bring you fresh, organic animal blood from my supply, ok? But first try to control your impulses.”</p><p>“Are you kidding, bastard?” Ten yells, “Animal blood? I want human blood!”</p><p>At the very least, Ten has come to terms with the fact he drinks blood now. “No,” he says, still leaning against the door, “You don’t need it. You will calm down and drink calf blood.”</p><p>“Never!”</p><p>And that’s another lesson Johnny learns: Ten is hard-headed and annoying. Well, good for him because Johnny is too. And so, he refuses to open the door no matter what.</p><p>The door bangs and rattles all afternoon long as Johnny tries to cook his twilight snack and read one of the few books that aren’t in the library stuck inside with Ten.</p><p>“He can’t keep this up for much longer, right?” he sighs, trying to ignore the vampire’s screams of anger as he flips through the pages of his book. He yawns, “It’s going to be late soon enough anyway. He’ll tire himself out.”</p><p>But Ten simply doesn’t and Johnny has to plug his ears with fluff that morning, the rattling of the door never ceasing. However, Ten’s screams soon turn from anger to pain—he must be realizing that Hunger only grows worse the more he goes without a drop of blood. But he shall not drink human blood, that is the modern fledglings’ first lesson and Johnny had to learn it the tough way from his own Sire back in the day. This is just a lesson Ten will have to go through.</p><p>When night arrives and Johnny wakes up, taking out the fluff plug from his ears, Ten has finally become silent, his body probably too tired to keep up with his yelling, and Johnny almost feels bad for him—not quite since he still remembers the awful scratches and bruises he received after Ten woke up the first time.</p><p>Johnny sighs, leisurely putting on his robe, taking his time walking into the kitchen and making himself a cup of coffee with a few drops of creamer and buffalo blood. He sits down, placidly hums to the soft tunes of a Fats Domino song, and drinks his coffee and toast in peace. The doorbell rings and Johnny ignores it.</p><p>
  <em>Yes, my darlin' I want you to know</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Each an ev'ryday I love you more and more </em>
</p><p>It’s a nice way to start the night, he figures, it’s not like he has much to do. Or anything, really. Finally, Johnny opens the fridge and takes out two small plastic bags from the fridge before making his way to the library.</p><p>The hallway is quiet, just like it usually is, and Johnny steps slowly into it. He stops for a moment, placing his ear on the door but he can’t hear anything at all—he briefly wonders if somehow Ten managed to escape but it’s more likely the Hunger weakened him up.</p><p>He opens the door with caution, peeking his head.</p><p>And he was right, Ten, now weak from Hunger, is sprawled on the floor, hopefully not unconscious.</p><p>“Ten?” Johnny asks, “Are you awake?” He steps closer to the vampire and sees Ten’s drained body. When a vampire is in need of feeding, its body will pale even more so than normal, the veins will bulge out and eventually, after an intense rampage, it will succumb to a fate worse than death—eternal comma.</p><p>Such a short amount of time going bloodless shouldn’t harm Ten too much, it was just a few hours after all. He pokes Ten with his foot, “Ten, c’mon, I got blood for you.”</p><p>Ten opens his eyes, clear tear tracks on his cheeks and Johnny understands. It’s not easy being a vampire and he wonders if there will ever be a time when Johnny will stop feeling guilty about biting Ten.</p><p>He pats the other’s head as he sits up.</p><p>“Do you wanna drink the calf blood?”</p><p>Ten nods, taking the blood bags from Johnny himself and ripping them open with his fangs. He gulps them down, eyes red and exhausted as Johnny holds him, lips now stained with liquid red.</p><p>Blood works fast and, after downing the first bag, Ten is already looking livelier, stronger.</p><p>“I’m really a vampire,” he says into the silence, it is not a question.</p><p>Johnny nods, trying to brush away the matted hair on Ten’s forehead.</p><p>“Don’t worry, I’m here.” And he is, Johnny has been here for Ten ever since he first laid eyes on him and wondered in curiosity at the bright human.</p><p>Whether human or undead, Johnny is here for Ten.</p><p>o.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. on the dos and don'ts of vampirism</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><strong>The sun—the bright sun, that brings back, not light alone, but new life, and hope, and freshness to man</strong>—<strong>burst upon the crowded city in clear and radiant glory. Through costly-colored glass and paper-mended window, through cathedral dome and rotten crevice, it shed its equal ray.</strong></p><p>- Charles Dickens</p><p>i</p><p>Once Ten had managed to comprehend the sheer fact that he had died and come back to life as a vampire, it was far easier for Johnny to interact with him. There was a brief period of time that morning—approximately two hours, in which Ten sighed whenever he looked at his own skin and complained about his lost tan—but overall, the man was taking it with far more grace than most.</p><p>“Why can we eat human food?” he asks, eyeing the plate of seared scallops in front of him. “Seems a little weird to me.”</p><p>“Why not?” Johnny shrugs, piercing a scallop with his fork and taking a piece into his mouth. “It's fun.”</p><p>“Do we need sleep or is that just for fun too?” Ten follows suit and pops in a mouthful. Johnny watches across the table, gauging for Ten’s reaction. Johnny likes to cook and he'll be damned if he can’t call himself one of the best vampire chefs in the area.</p><p>“This is good,” Ten looks at the food with approval before taking a whole scallop into his mouth, unaware of Johnny’s observing eyes. Johnny nods with a happy smile, subtly proud of the praise.</p><p>“Yes. Perhaps not as much as humans do, but we still need it. And it feels good, so why not?”</p><p>Ten puts the fork down on the table, looking at Johnny. “Do I need to stay here? In your mansion, I mean. And what do you need a mansion for? That is extremely stereotypical. Do you sleep in a coffin too?”</p><p>Johnny follows suit, leaving his food aside for a moment. “I have money for a mansion. And yes, Ten, you need to stay here while you go through your fledgling phase. I’m your Sire, I need to supervise you in case you go hungry and kill a human.”</p><p>“And after that?”</p><p>“After that you can leave.”</p><p>“And what do I do?”</p><p>Johnny shrugs, finishing his food, “Whatever you want. You’re kind of immortal now.”</p><p>“Anything I want?” Ten’s eyes widen, the idea of such liberties settling into his mind. The endless possibilities are too alluring.</p><p>“Well,” Johnny ponders, hand in chin, unapologetically being the one to break Ten’s short-lived fantasies, “You can’t eat garlic.”</p><p>“What?” he says, eyes blank.</p><p>“And you can’t use mirrors anymore.”</p><p>“<em>What?”</em></p><p>“And you can’t wear silver jewelry, it will burn you.”</p><p>“This sounds made up.”</p><p>“It’s all true,” Johnny picks up their plates, Ten’s eyes on him, “Just a few things here and there that you’ll have to learn to live with. But, to be fair, it’s really not that different from, say, a human being allergic to seafood or peanuts. It sounds like fair trade for an eternal life.”</p><p>“Hm,” he hums, sipping from his straw his third glass of blood like a little kid, “I’m still weighing the cons and pros of this whole thing.”</p><p>“You will also need an invitation to go inside a house. You cannot physically go in if you’re not explicitly told you can.”</p><p>“What <em>the hell</em>?”</p><p>“There’s a loophole, though” Johnny leans in, whispering conspiratorially.</p><p>“What is it?”</p><p>“You can turn into a bat. Then sneak into the house without an invitation. But not many people do it. You lose your clothes in the process so when you turn back into a human, you do so naked.”</p><p>“I don’t believe that,” Ten rolls his eyes, “Are you pulling my leg?”</p><p>Johnny laughs hard at Ten’s expression, looking proud of himself.</p><p>“I know there’s a lot to learn” he shrugs, “But you’ll get used to it.” Johnny pauses with a troubled expression on his face. “By the way, we’ll have to go see the Council of Elders soon. They’re the ones who oversee all the vampires around Seoul. They’ll need to register you and everything. But let’s wait a little, they don’t have to know about you right now. I hope.” Truth be told, Johnny’s a little scared of what the Elders might say about his abrupt decision to turn Ten into an undead. Biting and Turning humans for fun has been prohibited in South Korea for quite a few years now; it is taboo unless under certain circumstances. He thinks near-death might fall under that category but he isn’t too sure. He hopes the Elders take pity on him at least, Johnny’s a good vampire, not much of a trouble-maker.</p><p>“Sounds like a bore.”</p><p>“Maybe,” he sighs, “But that’s a problem for another day.”</p><p>“So what do we do today?” Ten leans against the counter, hair stark against his palish face. As he does the dishes, Johnny turns to look at him. Ten’s ruby eyes stare back, a shiny glint in them. They’re pretty eyes, he accepts this, but he also misses Ten’s dark, human eyes, the ones that would occasionally stare back at him in the club. He realizes he’ll have to mourn the memory of Human Ten soon enough.</p><p>“What do you mean?”</p><p>“Well, what do you usually do?”</p><p>“Nothing,” he shrugs before realizing how lame that sounds. Somehow, he doesn’t want Ten thinking he’s boring, he’s definitely not. He clears his throat, “I mean, I don’t really plan my days. I just do as I go.”</p><p>“Great, then you can take me to my apartment. As much as… I like your clothes, I need to pick up some of my own.” Johnny takes a look at the outfit Ten is sporting, a blue silk shirt a few sizes too big on him.</p><p>“Ok. I guess we can do that.”</p><p>Being a vampire is cool. Right? It comes with the job, being mysterious and poignant and <em>sexy. </em>Effortless. He’s been a vampire for eighty years. He should be good at it by now. Johnny isn't.</p><p>If he could look at himself in the mirror, he’d be doing it right now. Instead, Johnny, with a frustrated pull of the hair, looks at the blank reflection staring back at him. Sometimes he wishes he still had a reflection, maybe he’d know if he has a piece of food stuck in his teeth or if he’s sporting bed hair. But alas, he’s probably looking like a fool. Not that it matters. Why would it matter what Ten thinks?</p><p>He tries telling himself that as they make their way to Ten’s apartment on the other side of town, pretty far away from the almost remote and fancy location of Johnny’s pretentious mansion. He can feel Ten’s eyes on him from the shotgun seat as Johnny drives his Bentley Arnage of the year, never taking his eyes off the road.</p><p>“You drive very carefully,” Ten notes, still staring at him.</p><p>“Are you trying to say I’m a slow driver?” Johnny raises an eyebrow, “I’ve never had an accident in my life. I’m good.”</p><p>“Don’t be so defensive,” Ten leans back, “I think you’re good. When did you learn how to drive? Can’t imagine they had cars back in the age of Jesus.”</p><p>“Excuse me,” Johnny hits the brake too quickly, making Ten leap forward.</p><p>“Ouch,” Ten rubs his arm with a sniff and a frown, “Why’d you do that?”</p><p>“I’m only a century old.“ Johnny replies instead, “I was born in 1893. I’m pretty much a baby.”</p><p>“You’re a hundred years old, you are not a baby.”</p><p>“Well, I guess compared to you I’m not,” he gives him a once over before stepping on the pedal again when the lights turn green. “How old are you?”</p><p>“Twenty-four,” Ten looks out the window. “That’s such a young age to die.”</p><p>Johnny turns back to look at him, Ten’s expression hidden from view as he looks out the car’s window, only the hazy reflection of the street lights on the car window. “And you didn’t.” He reassures him, “You were just. Reborn. That's what Taeyong likes to call it. You were reborn and now you’re just a few days old.”</p><p>Ten turns back, “Who’s Taeyong?”</p><p>“Another vampire lord. He’s around my age. He’s one of the big ones around here.”</p><p>“How many other vampires are there? And when will I meet them?”</p><p>There’s a few of them in Seoul, only a handful of powerful ones, they all know each other, they <em>have </em>to, really. Taeyong is one of them and not everyone is as nice as him. Johnny feels a sense of overprotection wash over him at the thought of any of the asshole vampire lords coming near Ten. Are his Sire instincts kicking in?</p><p>“There’s a few of them,” he says, “You’ll meet them soon enough, I’m sure. We’ll have to go meet the Elders next week anyway.”</p><p>“You keep mentioning them and I’m not sure I like the sound of that.”</p><p>“They’re—mostly nice.” Ten doesn’t reply, hopefully, he’s not too intimidated by it all. “<em>Ten</em>,” he stops looking at the road for one second, “Stop biting the seatbelt? What’s wrong with you?”</p><p>Ten looks back, wide-eyed before frowning, “My teeth are itchy, I need to bite stuff. These fangs are so inconvenient.”</p><p>“You’ll get used to it,” Johnny says. Hopefully. He doesn’t know much about fledglings besides all the stuff he had to go through when he was first turned and that was nearly a century ago.</p><p>“Is this Madonna?” Ten asks instead, “Turn it up,” he leans forward himself to turn the radio’s volume up, the car soon engulfed in a plethora of pop beats and Madonna’s voice.</p><p>Johnny doesn’t care much for this type of music, but he doesn’t mind it all that much, especially as Ten bops his head along to it, dramatically singing over the pop singer’s voice.</p><p>“What is this song called?” Johnny asks.</p><p>Ten stops his rendition to look at him with barely surprised disgust, “How do you not know <em>Like a Prayer</em>? What kind of vampire are you?”</p><p>“One that doesn't listen to Madonna?”</p><p>“You’re insane.”</p><p>“Mad?”</p><p>“Madness. I need to teach you about music. What do you even listen to?”</p><p>“I like a lot of music. Chubby Checker. Frank Sinatra. Fats Domino.”</p><p>“I don’t know any of these people,” Ten pulls a face.</p><p>“Then you’re simply uncultured.”</p><p>“Look who’s talking. Not knowing Madonna feels like a cardinal sin.”</p><p>Johnny throws his head back in laughter at that, his hair blowing softly at the warm breeze coming in from outside. He lets Like A Prayer keep playing in the background as Ten keeps singing and the night feels—good.</p><p>ii</p><p>Johnny sneezes as he looks around the living room, dust visible in most surfaces, from the coffee table to the lamp next to him. He knows Ten has been gone from home but it hasn’t even been a full week. He swipes a finger against the TV screen. “This is dirty.”</p><p>“Yeah, I have eyes, Johnny,” he glowers at him, “My life is busy, ok? I didn’t really have time to dust everything off before I died.”</p><p>He raises his hands in surrender before plopping himself down into Ten’s sofa. Even with all the dust and messy objects lying around everywhere, Ten’s apartment felt cozy. With splashes of color and quirky art hanging from the walls. Johnny likes it, somehow it seems to scream Ten. It was almost a shame he’d have to abandon it for a few weeks until the dust settled down. He frowns, “Are you ok? What’s taking you so long?”</p><p>There’s a thud and a yelp, “No, please come help me.”</p><p>Johnny rushes over, trying to find Ten’s room. In the end, he finds him buried in a clump of clothes and boxes. Johnny raises an unimpressed eyebrow. “What happened?”</p><p>“Bunch of boxes fell on me,” Ten wheezes, trying to make his way out, “There’s too many clothes I like, I want to take everything.”</p><p>“This is worth at least three suitcases full of clothes,” Johnny looks at the mess on the floor and the clothes still hanging in the closet.</p><p>“What’s your point?” Ten snarks back, “You seem to have a lot of space in your giant mansion, do you not?”</p><p>He sighs, giving Ten a hand to dig him out, “Ok, sure.”</p><p>Johnny looks down at his own cashmere shirt, something expensive that Mark had gifted him on his birthday because, in Mark’s words, <em>it looks like the shirts you wear every day.</em> He reluctantly agrees that his style may be expensive yet simple, unlike the almost all-black garments that Ten seems to sport. Perhaps Johnny needs to update his wardrobe soon to something more modern. He’ll ask Ten for some help later on, he seems to know about—well, about everything. He thinks that’s kind of ironic considering he’s been alive for far longer than Ten.</p><p>By the time they have everything packed in the trunk of Johnny’s car, it is almost nearing three am. It seems like a productive night.</p><p>“Do you want to go get some food?” he asks Ten. Ten, who looks lovely and cute in his clean leather jacket and dark hair falling into his eyes. Johnny doesn’t know where this is all coming from, but he's blaming it on their blood bond. That’s got to be it, right? Otherwise, he wouldn’t be feeling so—utterly carnal.</p><p>“Sure,” Ten shrugs, “Let’s get something real greasy. Vampires can't get fat can they?”</p><p>“Yes, I’m sure we can.”</p><p>“<em>What</em>?” he squeaks out, “Out of all useless traits you’re telling me I can’t eat garlic but I can get fat?”</p><p>“No one said this was easy.”</p><p>“Oh, spare me your bullshit, Lord Seo,” he says in English.</p><p>“Lord Seo?” he thinks it over as they get inside Johnny’s car again, “I haven’t been called that in ages.”</p><p>“You’re not from here, are you?” Ten asks him, “You’re like me. I came here from Thailand to study. Didn’t want to go back and decided to stay here. I can tell you’re not from here either.”</p><p>Johnny smiles at him lightly. “I’m from America. Originally, I mean.”</p><p>“So far away.”</p><p>Johnny nods. “My parents migrated from Korea during the late eighteen hundreds. I was born there. I was turned there as well. And I lived there for decades until I decided I needed a change of scenery and I moved back to the motherland. I wanted to visit my parents’ lands since I never got the chance to when they were alive.”</p><p>Silence hangs in the air for a few moments, Johnny reminisces about his life back then, about his parents, about his own Sire, a Chinese man who had been looking for an inheritor—he hadn’t even asked Johnny if he wanted to be turned. Things were different back then, although, he supposes, it’s not like he had asked Ten either.</p><p>“Was it hard?” Ten asks, suddenly sobered up, “To see your parents get left behind as you just... kept on living?”</p><p>“The hardest thing I’ve ever done.”</p><p>Ten nods, as if expecting it.</p><p>Johnny thinks of anything to say, but really, there’s not much to do or say. Immortality is a vampire’s closest friend as is its cruelest enemy.</p><p>By the time they get to an out-of-place diner, the mood is down, Johnny blames himself for it so he decides to try and cheer Ten up.</p><p>“What was Thailand like?” he asks as they enter the establishment, an empty place devoid of anyone except for a single waitress who welcomes them with a tired smile.</p><p>“It’s hot,” Ten says, perking up, “It’s hot and sometimes humid. At least where I used to live. But it’s very nice. The people are friendly and welcoming. And there’s lots of good food too. Oh, Johnny, the food is amazing. Let’s go to a Thai restaurant next time.”</p><p>“Sounds good,” Johnny nods, “You’ll have to recommend me the best.”</p><p>“I’m the best food guide,” Ten says proudly, “I’ll teach you everything.”</p><p>This time, however, they end up eating a burger each, greasy and giant, with fries on the side. Johnny is ok with foregoing his wine this time around. Even though Ten had his qualms earlier, he still eats his food like a madman, licking the grease on his fingers without a care in the world.</p><p>Johnny thinks Ten looks good best like that: carefree.</p><p>iii</p><p>Johnny wipes the sweat from his forehead, his face red from exertion and he gasps for air, muscles aching. He lets himself drop to the floor, limbs sprawled all over like a starfish.</p><p>“Why are you being so dramatic?” Ten plops down next to him, a light sheen of sweat on his forehead. Ten smiles, however, unlike Johnny. “Who knew you’d be exceptionally bad at dancing?”</p><p>“I’m—” he wheezes, “I’m not a bad dancer. I’m a perfectly good ballroom dancer. This is... this is just too wild for me.”</p><p>“Oh, please, Johnny!” Ten laughs, standing back up again, extending a hand for him to take, “It’s not that hard! I’m a good teacher.”</p><p>“I don’t know about that,” Johnny grumbles but takes Ten’s hand and gets back up again. The sound of a Beastie Boys song plays in the background. He doesn’t know who the Beastie Boys are, really, he just knows what Ten has told him. It’s a fun song and absolutely something Johnny would not listen to in his free time.</p><p>Ten, however, loves it.</p><p>“Oh, I haven’t had time to dance like this a long time!” he jumps, “It feels so good.”</p><p>“I didn’t know you were a fan of dancing.”</p><p>“It’s one of the things I love most,” he smiles, doing another extravagant step Johnny can’t quite copy. He must look ridiculous and uncoordinated in Ten’s eyes.</p><p>To be fair, Johnny doesn’t even know how he was dragged into this mess in the first place. It involved a set of puppy eyes and a sparkling smile. He needs to toughen up soon or Ten will eventually take over Johnny’s mansion.</p><p>“Let’s take a break,” he tries, “Show me the Madonna cassette you were talking about earlier.”</p><p>Like a moth to a light, Ten takes the bait. He gasps, “You’re right! I promised I would show it to you,” he runs to the little rucksack he’s placed in the corner of the empty room he’s adopted as his temporary dancing studio. “This,” he says, lifting his little cassette up in the air, “Is my Madonna Greatest Hits treasure. I love listening to it.” Ten walks up to the stereo and places it inside. The room now echoing with the familiar tune of Like A Prayer. Johnny doesn’t dislike it.</p><p>The doorbell rings and Johnny ignores it. Ten sits back down next to him. “I’m going to make a Madonna fan out of you. Maybe we can go to one of her concerts someday.”</p><p>Johnny’s heart swells at the thought that Ten wants to take him somewhere, no vampire obligations attached. He nods, “That sounds fun. I’ve never been to one?”</p><p>Ten whips his head to look at him, “You can’t be serious. You lived through the 80s and you’ve never been to a concert?”</p><p>He shrugs, “I’ve been to plenty of operas,” he frowns, “I even visited Vienna a few years ago.”</p><p>“Oh my god,” Ten shakes his head. “Well, I’m sure the opera is plenty nice, <em>monsieur</em>. But you have to go to a concert with me, they get crazy and mad fun.”</p><p>“Sounds dangerous,” he nods in amusement, “If you take me, I guess I’m in.”</p><p>“That’s the spirit!” Ten pats his thigh. The music in the room suddenly changes, the beat turning darker than the previous song. “Oh, fuck.” Ten says, leaping up, “This is my favorite song.”</p><p>Johnny leans back, his back touching the wall as he stares up at Ten. His black sweater looks even starker against his drained skin. Somehow, Ten still looks as lively as he did when he was alive.</p><p>“See, Johnny?” Ten looks at him with a smirk, moving along to the music, “This is how you dance.”</p><p>Johnny doesn’t say anything, only crosses his arms in amusement as the pop song reverberates through his stereo, filling the room. He looks on as Ten starts dancing to the strange song, twisting his body in even weirder movements. Even when Johnny thinks Ten is looking silly and odd, his smile stays undeterred, watching every dance move as Ten dances to the music. His red eyes shine bright under the dim light of the room and Johnny thinks there’s very few things he’s enjoyed more than the sight in front of him. Ten laughs, “<em>Vogue</em>. That’s the name of the song.” He makes his way to Johnny’s little corner, taking him by the arm. “C’mon, dance with me, I’ll teach you!”</p><p>Johnny, albeit embarrassed, lets himself be dragged by the smaller man as a laugh escapes his lips. “I can’t dance like you, Ten.” He looks at Ten’s dance moves before trying to imitate them. He feels so awkward and robotic.</p><p>“You look great in my opinion,” Ten’s lips curl upwards in honesty and Johnny can feel his eyes lingering on him. He coughs into his fist before Ten looks away, smiling just as bright.</p><p>And Johnny dances. He dances with Ten as the song progresses, every dance move thoughtless and improvised and—fun. Johnny laughs as the song comes to an end, and when it does, they let the next one play too.</p><p>“God, you’re a natural,” Ten says, “If you take dance lessons you might beat me soon enough. I can’t have that.”</p><p>This doesn’t feel like the slow ballroom dancing he learned a few years back nor the twisty steps from the 60s he remembers seeing. The 90s are so <em>mindless</em>. “Better watch out then,” he sticks out his tongue and for a moment, Johnny thinks himself a dancer.</p><p>iv</p><p>“Johnny!” he calls, “Here.” Ten makes his way towards him. It’s nice seeing him in his own clothes, Ten’s got such a unique style, Johnny likes it. He smiles before looking down at his own sweater, made of vicuna wool, definitely expensive. He’d like to try some of Ten’s clothes later on—if they even fit him, that is.</p><p>“Yeah?” he asks lightheartedly, as if he wasn’t just checking him out.</p><p>“I got something for you,” he rests his knee against the armrest, a small square in his hands. He hands it to Johnny.</p><p>He looks at it with curiosity. It’s a cassette. “What is this?”</p><p>“Nevermind,” he smiles, “By Nirvana. You seem to like Madonna well enough, but maybe you’d be more into something like this. I gotta teach you about MTV soon as well, oh all the possibilities, Johnny.”</p><p>Johnny turns the little cassette in his hands. He feels—touched. <em>Nirvana, Nevermind, </em>it reads. He smiles up at Ten, “Thank you, Ten. I’ll listen to it, I promise.”</p><p>He feels Ten emanate an aura of <em>pride. </em>Literally. It hits Johnny like a truck, filling his head with the feeling of Ten.</p><p>“I can sense your aura too,” he looks up at him, “Sometimes. The stronger your emotions are, I can feel them.”</p><p>“Huh?” Ten jumps, “How? Vampires do that?”</p><p>“Only Sires can do it to their fledglings. I can also get in your head.”</p><p>“What the hell—”</p><p><em>Hello, </em>he thinks. It's the first time he’s done this but it’s natural, it comes to him easily. <em>Can you hear me?</em></p><p>“What the <em>fuck</em>?” Ten jumps in surprise. “I can hear you! Johnny, I can hear you!” Johnny laughs out loud before trying it again, <em>it’s fun, isn’t it?</em></p><p>“Creepy!” he says, then lowers himself to the still sitting Johnny, examining him closely, frown in his face, as if concentrating.</p><p>“What are you doing?” Johnny moves back a few inches, suddenly aware of Ten’s nose close to his.</p><p>“I can’t do it?”</p><p>“No, only I can. I’m the Sire.”</p><p>“This is lame! Johnny Seo, this is just absolutely lame!”</p><p>v</p><p>He likes the way the nightly grass dew feels on his back, soft as the cold wind blows gently against their faces. He stays in silence, Ten next to him as they look above at the dark firmament, dotted with immovable stars.</p><p>As much as he enjoys listening to Ten talk, Johnny thinks this is also nice. Even the usual grasshoppers, whom Johnny tends to avoid whenever he can, are not much of a bother this time around. He listens to Ten hum something under his breath, something soft and velvety that lulls Johnny into a sense of security. The hum is warm and Johnny wonders whether that feeling comes from their tangled legs or from Ten’s surprisingly pleasant voice.</p><p>It was Ten’s idea to come out to the garden and see the stars, he’d been asking for days now. Johnny, ever-pleasing towards him, had finally agreed to accompany him in his stargazing.</p><p>“I want to ask you something.” Ten breaks the silence but not the atmosphere, the energy around them like a still veil that covers everything but them. “Do you mind if it’s something personal?”</p><p>“I don’t mind if it’s a question I can answer.”</p><p>“Is there a question you couldn’t answer?” Ten asks back, still looking up at the sky rather than at Johnny.</p><p>He shakes his head, half-smiling, “I don’t know much.” He doesn’t know anything, he feels like. So many decades alive and Johnny Seo still feels clueless. Ten is the living proof of that. “But you can go ahead and ask.”</p><p>“Are you afraid of dying?”</p><p>Johnny takes a moment to listen to the question. He looks at the expanse above them and smiles. “I already died, didn’t I?”</p><p>“I mean forever.”</p><p>“No,” is his answer, “I mean, even with all these years I still feel like I haven’t lived enough. But I’m not afraid of it.”</p><p>“Then what are you afraid of?” he asks.</p><p>Johnny doesn’t have to think this one through. Even vampires can have an existential crisis, “Of getting lost in time. Of being alone.”</p><p>Ten finally looks back at him, question in his gaze.</p><p>Johnny shrugs, “The thought that every day and every thing and every person will eventually be forgotten in my memory, that I’m just mindlessly floating through life for eternity. That in the end, it will just be me.”</p><p>It’s true. Even now, Johnny holds one thing precious above everything else, including his own life: the memory he has of his parents. It’s hazy, blurry, like a dream, but it’s still there because Johnny doesn’t want to let go. His memories are what he has left of his original humanity, more precious than life itself.</p><p>“Well, you’re not going to forget me,” Ten smiles up at him and Johnny thinks the moon glow above makes him look like a painting, “I’m not going to let you.”</p><p><em>Good</em>. He thinks with guilt that if that night Ten hadn’t been killed, he would not be here tonight. That he’d eventually become just another memory, another name in his notebook of people and made up stories, dust and bones that Johnny would forget in a few years. He shudders at the thought and unconsciously scooches closer to Ten, reveling in his warmth. “What about you? What are you scared of?”</p><p>“You got it. There’s something about being alone that terrifies me,” he says, voice flat. “Even when I was human. And now it’s gotten worse. How do I keep on living when the rest of the world doesn’t?”</p><p>“You find someone to take along with you,” Johnny says and even though he means it, a ghostly flush creeps up his cheeks.</p><p>Ten doesn’t reply but Johnny thinks he doesn’t need to, not when his smile curls upwards with words untold and knowing. Instead, he turns to look back at the sky. Johnny follows his gaze.</p><p>The sky hasn’t changed, the stars haven’t changed. Not in a hundred years. That, somehow, brings comfort to Johnny.</p><p>“You painted your nails,” he notes, looking as Ten stretches a hand towards the night sky.</p><p>“I like black,” Ten shrugs, “I can paint yours too, if you want.”</p><p>“Maybe,” he mumbles. Would black look as good on him as it does on Ten?</p><p>He closes his eyes, Ten by his side, and, without meaning to, sleep takes over them.</p><p>Johnny never remembers his dreams. He doesn’t even know if he dreams, although he likes to think he does, otherwise—how painfully boring. But he thinks he does and that he dreams of his mom, hard-working as she ever was, always warm. And his dad, with a smile on his face, always full of compliments for his only son. He probably dreams of Yifan too, tall and gangly and confident. Johnny hopes he dreams of them, that would make his life a little easier, his nights better. It doesn’t even matter that, when he wakes up, he won’t remember.</p><p>Johnny stirs as the little birds a bit far off sing in the distance, chirping away in content. His eyelashes flutter open, his mind groggy and feeling like a melting popsicle. “Ngh,” he says. When did he fall asleep? It must’ve been around three, he thinks. He feels Ten snore next to him, limbs sprawled all over the grass, belly facing upwards.</p><p>He touches his temples, an incoming headache is coming. “Ten,” he shakes the other man, “We gotta go inside.” He looks at the sky and the sun coming out, it’s almost morning, the orange rays coming through the nestle of clouds in the sky. “Ten,” he shakes him again before Ten, cheeks red and puffed from where he was laying on his face, opens his eyes lazily.</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Let’s go inside,” Johnny urges him. How did they even fall asleep? Johnny chastises himself; if he hadn’t woken up just in time, who knows what would’ve happened to them?</p><p>There’s garlic and there’s mirrors. Wooden stakes and silver and invitation into houses. Somehow, the number one rule amongst vampires still remains untouched: do not go under the sunlight.</p><p>“Ok, I’m going, I’m going.” Ten follows him, eyes barely open and feet bare, stepping on the wet grass.</p><p>The trek isn’t long, really, just the walk-in between the garden and the little curtained doors Johnny has set up in the backyard.</p><p>“How strange,” Johnny mutters, scrutinizing the wet floor just outside the doors. He looks at the little tracks before opening the door and scurrying inside, heaving a sigh. That was much too close for comfort.</p><p>“We can go back to sleep, Ten,” he says, then wakes himself a little bit more, eyes widening. “I mean, you go to your room and I go back to mine and we sleep there. On our own beds.”</p><p>“Ten?” he turns around, wishing the blush away from his face, “Are you even awake?”</p><p>When he turns around, Johnny’s heart drops to the floor.</p><p>“I forgot my shoes,” Ten says just outside of the threshold. He takes languid and easy steps outside before Johnny can even comprehend what’s happening, much less do anything.</p><p>Sun hurts vampires. It burns their skin, it causes blisters, to some, it even boils them to the bone. Sometimes it can kill them—just a cloud of smoke vanishing into air. Johnny watches as Ten steps right into the morning sunlight and he thinks he has never felt any more helpless in his life before.</p><p>“<em>Ten</em>,” Johnny cries. And he nearly jumps out of the house to save him, he really does, even if it meant burning himself to death in the process because that’s his fledgling, his vampire, his Ten.</p><p>But he never does. Because Ten keeps walking—<em>yawning</em>—like it’s nothing, like it doesn’t hurt him. Because it doesn’t.</p><p>“What?” Ten turns around, quizzical look as he stares at Johnny. “Are you ok? I’m just getting my shoes.”</p><p>“Get back inside,” he says slowly, still panicking on the inside. Ten does, after getting his precious shoes, he scuttles inside, not really understanding what’s going on.</p><p>“What’s wrong?” he asks while Johnny’s heart still thrums inside his chest.</p><p>This changes things, thinks Johnny. He doesn’t want to take Ten to the Elders, to the council. Into the grimy hands of any other Lord.</p><p>“I’m not taking you,” he says, “I’m not taking you to the Elders.”</p><p>“What? Why not?” Ten says.</p><p>Because he’s a Sunkissed—a rare and precious Sunkissed.</p><p>“Well, it’s a little too late for that, Johnny Seo.”</p><p>Johnny turns around, cursing every damn god in existence.</p><p>There, in his living room, stand two completely naked vampires.</p><p>“Sorry,” Jaehyun shrugs.</p><p>Doyoung smiles with dripping coldness, “But you wouldn't invite us in.”</p><p>o.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. children of the night</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>
  <strong>Because I could not stop for Death<br/>
</strong>
  <strong>He kindly stopped for me. </strong><br/>
<strong>The Carriage held but just Ourselves<br/>
</strong>
  <strong>And Immortality.</strong>
</p><p>- Emily Dickinson</p><p>i</p><p>“I can’t believe you,” he says, arms crossed as he sits across Jaehyun, sending him the deadliest gaze Johnny can muster.</p><p>“It’s your fault,” Jaehyun sighs, “You were refusing to open the door.”</p><p>“Alright. But why tell <em>him</em>?” he points towards the man on Jaehyun’s side. Doyoung makes arrogance look like an art, somehow still looking uninterested in the conversation. “You know Doyoung is the biggest tattle-tale in existence.”</p><p>“It’s not being a tattle-tale,” Doyoung rests his elbows on the expensive mahogany table. “It’s following the <em>rules. </em>The Council must be aware of every vampire within Seoul’s parameters. What would happen if your fledgling just went on a rampage? Would you take responsibility for that?”</p><p>“Ten wouldn't,” he says with certainty. He isn’t actually certain of that, but there’s no way he’s losing face to Kim Doyoung.</p><p>“Yeah,” Ten nods beside him, “I love calf blood. Delicious.”</p><p>Doyoung turns to Ten briefly, giving him a once-over before leaning back on his chair. “You can’t blame me for this, Johnny. And don’t blame my husband either.”</p><p>Johnny glares at Jaehyun one last time before turning to face Ten, “Don’t listen to them, I know you wouldn’t kill people, Ten.”</p><p>Ten looks unsure. He’s glad when Johnny changes the subject, whispering, “So are those two married?”</p><p>They blatantly turn to face the couple, who silently look at them back. Johnny replies, voice loud for them to hear, “Yes, they’re an asshole couple.” That’s a half-lie. Doyoung, by all means, <em>is </em>an asshole whom Johnny has had to put up with for years. Jaehyun, however, is Johnny’s best friend. He just happens to be tragically loyal to Doyoung before anything else, which makes him an asshole by association. “Don’t trust them,” he glares, “They’ll stab you in the back when you least expect it.”</p><p>Doyoung pretends to be ignoring them, but Johnny knows he’s the worst of eavesdroppers. Jaehyun rolls his eyes. “You’re being dramatic.”</p><p>“You know how Doyoung is,” he says, “Why would you involve him in this?”</p><p>“Maybe I wouldn’t have if I had known what was going on? But you didn’t tell me anything.”</p><p>“Excuse me,” Doyoung frowns, “You <em>wouldn’t </em>have told me?”</p><p>“I said maybe.”</p><p>“Oh my god,” Ten mutters under his breath.</p><p>Johnny feels an incoming headache but what is done is done. Truthfully, Doyoung and Jaehyun are the least of his problems right now. As if it wasn’t enough for him to be a Sire for the first time, his impending feelings towards Ten, and having to face the Elders, now Johnny has to worry about Ten being a <em>Sunkissed</em>.</p><p>On top of that, of course, there’s the Council. The very annoying Vampire Council of Seoul.</p><p>“Johnny-chan,” a thunderous voice chants, the heavy wooden doors flying open as if they were nothing more than paper-made.</p><p>“Yuta,” Johnny nods, giving the other a tired smile. A velvet-clad man walks up to him, blond hair wispy and feathery, expensive jewelry hanging from his ears. His fangs are pearly and sharp—oh, so sharp.</p><p>“I heard you became a Sire for the first time,” he smiles, eyes bright. He looks at Ten in wonder, ignoring the other two sitting opposite of Johnny. “He’s beautiful. Hello, I’m Nakamoto Yuta.”</p><p>Ten looks at him, perplexed for half a second before he smoothly replies, “I’m Ten. I love your earrings.”</p><p>Yuta’s smile widens, Johnny looks between them, slightly apprehensive at the interaction. <em>It’s not that Yuta is dangerous, it’s just that he’s double faced.</em></p><p>“Huh?” Ten asks, eyes wide.</p><p>“They’re gold,” he replies, touching one of the bright earrings, “Since, you know. Silver burns. I like yours too.”</p><p>“Thank you, I pierced them myself.”</p><p>Yuta looks at him for a second too long and Johnny fidgets. He interrupts, “Yes, he’s been a vampire for two weeks.”</p><p>“Oh? And you just told us about him now? Did you want to keep for him yourself?”</p><p>“I have my reasons.”</p><p>“You’re just greedy,” Yuta winks before turning to look at the other two vampires in the room. He and Doyoung make eye contact before rolling their eyes at each other, Yuta takes a seat on the plush chair next to Jaehyun.</p><p>“You’ll scare him away,” a new voice says and Johnny realizes the council room is starting to fill in with the usual Children.</p><p>Two men walk into the room, both beautiful and ethereally bright. Johnny sees as Ten follows them with his sight. “This is Lee Taeyong and Kim Jungwoo.”</p><p>“Oh, so nice to meet you, Ten,” Jungwoo extends his hand at Ten, sweet smile on his strawberry lips. He looks expectantly at Ten, hand still in the air. Ten turns to Johnny, a lift of the brow.</p><p>“Kiss his hand,” Johnny sighs.</p><p>Ten’s face twists into a grimace but does as he is told, kissing Jungwoo’s gloved hand. Kim Jungwoo, vampire Lord, overseer of the Northeast territories of Seoul. He’s mostly harmless, Johnny thinks he’s ok as long as he’s not messed with. “Here’s a tangerine,” Jungwoo says, offering him a perfectly round sphere as if it were precious gold. “Welcome.”</p><p>Ten takes the offered fruit with a small thank you and a befuddled expression on his face, pocketing it away. <em>He’s not dangerous, just eccentric.</em></p><p>Ten nods. Lee Taeyong steps forward, “Johnny’s fledgling,” he nods, eyeing him up just like Yuta did. Unlike Yuta, Taeyong is undecipherable—he’s always been so, for Johnny, for everyone. His silver hair looks warm under the dim light of the chandelier’s room, his eyes speckled with red just like everyone else’s in the room, sharp, calculating. “Ten, is it?”</p><p>Ten nods, quiet. Johnny can’t imagine what it must be like meeting all these intimidating jerks at the same time. But he admires the way Ten doesn’t back down, his stare intense, his back straight, he looks just fine amongst the council members; not everyone can say that.</p><p>“I heard he saved your life,” Taeyong ignores Johnny, still looking only at Ten. For whatever reason, Johnny flushes, clearing his throat and getting ready to intervene yet again. This time, Ten beats him to it.</p><p>“He did,” he says, puffing up his chest as if he had been the one to do the deed, “I would be dead if it weren’t for Johnny,” the room is silent and Johnny feels the hot flush of blood course through his body. “I don’t know what this meeting is for, but I hope he doesn’t get in trouble. All he did was save me.”</p><p>Taeyong laughs, crinkly and light, “Don’t worry, Johnny is one of the Elders’ favorites. He would never get in trouble.”</p><p>“I think that’s Taeil,” Johnny interrupts, “He’s the favorite Childe.”</p><p>“Definitely,” Doyoung says from his seat, head resting on his hands.</p><p>“Because I mind my own business,” Taeil says.</p><p>“Fuck!” Jaehyun says, hand going up to his chest, “Moon, can’t you tell us when you get here?”</p><p>“I was here before you, though,” Taeil raises an eyebrow, hot dog in hand. Unlike the rest of the fancy vampires in the room, Taeil sports a modern hoodie and beanie. Johnny would laugh if it weren’t so quiet in the room. “Anyway, what are we doing here? Johnny has a new fledgling, so what?”</p><p>“So crude, so crude,” Yuta shakes his head, “Just eat your hot dog.”</p><p>“Do you want some?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“I agree with Taeil, I don’t appreciate being called over by the Elders if that means having to see your faces all in one place,” Taeyong takes a seat next to Johnny, looking deflated. “I had plans for tonight.”</p><p>“Trust us, Taeyong, we don’t want to see yours either,” Doyoung adds, “We’re just sticking to the council rules.”</p><p>Jungwoo yawns, “Can we at least get some food? A little sheep blood?”</p><p>“That is disgusting,” Yuta replies, “Why are you even drinking that? I got some premium tiger blood if you want.”</p><p>“Those are endangered, what the hell?”</p><p>“Oh, <em>I’m sorry, Jaehyun,</em> I’m just trying not to kill a goddamn human around here. Would like a little support if you don’t mind.”</p><p>Ten and Johnny make eye contact. <em>They’re horrible,</em> Johnny tells him. Ten curls his mouth into an amused smile, shrugging.</p><p>As Jaehyun and Yuta argue in the background, Taeil asks, “Yo, where’s Kun?”</p><p>Frighteningly on cue, a gentle, still breeze blows into the room. The mahogany doors are opened softly, yet the aura that permeates in the air is anything but subtle. It’s ice, it’s sharp. It’s calm and lulling. Johnny shivers, taking a deep breath.</p><p>“Apologies for the tardiness,” a velvety voice fills the room. “You know I’m not usually late.”</p><p>At once, the room falls into silence, all eyes on the new figure. He enters the room in swift steps as if floating, Johnny has always admired that of him. Swift and quick, like death itself.</p><p>Behind the newcomer, another figure walks behind him, shadowing his every step, even as he takes a seat next to Jungwoo, the second vampire remains standing by his side.</p><p>Jungwoo gives him a smile, “You’re always here early, there must have been something important.”</p><p>Kun nods politely, leaning back into his chair. Unlike the others, he doesn’t greet Ten.</p><p>Johnny takes a look at his friend, expecting him to be aloof, just as he had been with the rest. But he isn’t—Ten stares at Kun with wide eyes, even as the other doesn’t turn around to face him. Johnny pats his warm thigh under the table. <em>That’s Qian Kun, he</em>’<em>s head vampire of the Baohu Zhe coven.</em></p><p>A silence engulfs them for a few seconds, only the sound of Taeil eating his hot dog fills the room. Johnny coughs, this time, he says out loud, “So, Ten,” he points to the rest of the table, “These are the Children of the Council of Vampires. I’m sure they’re—glad to meet you.”</p><p>The sight is imposing, or it should be—seven vampire lords all staring at Ten, their scarlet eyes glowing against the dimly-lit room. Ten looks around instead, inspecting the costly flower wallpaper and Johnny swears, he swears, he’s never wanted to laugh more while in the presence of the Council.</p><p>“Of course,” Doyoung says, almost sardonic. “We would’ve greeted you earlier, but, oh, you know Johnny. Trying to keep things from us.”</p><p>“With good reason,” is all Johnny says, leaning back into his chair, a bit pompous. He might not like them, but he never said he wasn’t like them.</p><p>“We’re just looking out for you, Johnny,” Jaehyun says, “You know not following the rules might get you in trouble.”</p><p>“And that’s a problem for me, not you.” Jaehyun might mean well, Doyoung is another story completely. The rest of them just like seeing things burn, Children eternally bored.</p><p>“Actually, it’s a problem for all of us.” This time, it is Johnny who shivers. They’re not like Yuta, who makes his way known lavishly and loudly, they’re not like Kun either, who comes in like a cold winter breeze. They just—come. No palpitation in the air, no way to let the world know when they come, no lavish entrance, even if they could. The Elders just are. Every back straightens, every pupil dilates as they look just behind Doyoung. Johnny revels in the knowledge that Doyoung looks as uncomfortable as Johnny feels. “Hello, Children.” Donghyuck smiles, “I haven’t seen you in a while.”</p><p>This time, from the corner of his eye, Johnny sees Ten straighten up as well. It’s not something they can help, the power of an Elder is magnetizing, instinctual. Donghyuck walks towards the front of the table, where seven chairs await for them.</p><p>“Exactly, that’s what I said,” Doyoung coughs into his hand, “I wouldn’t care if Ten was just a random vampire but—”</p><p>“You like being a snitch,” Jaemin says, “We know that. Thanks, Doyoung.”</p><p>Yuta snorts into his hand and Taeyong twists his mouth, suppressing a grin.</p><p>“You must be Ten,” Renjun pauses in front of him, his cold, pale face inches in front of him, examining with unblinking eyes and a friendly smile. “I’m Renjun.”</p><p>“Hello,” Ten nods.</p><p>Jeno pulls Renjun away, forcing him to sit down. The seats are soon filled in, Donghyuck, Renjun, Jaemin, Jeno, Chenle and Jisung. Johnny sees as the last figure walks behind all of them, just a little bit less poised: Mark Lee, the youngest Elder and one of Johnny’s closest friends. They make eye contact and Mark raises an amused eyebrow.</p><p>“So, as you all know,” Chenle claps, looking at all of them, “We have a new vampire among us! Exciting! When was the last time we had one?”</p><p>“I think it was Dejun,” Renjun says, “1956?”</p><p>“Great memory.”</p><p>“He was a headache, how could I forget?”</p><p>“That was nearly forty years ago,” Mark hums, looking around, “You’re saying we haven’t had a new vampire since then?”</p><p>“It’s not like in our days, you know?” Donghyuck sighs, “People notice when someone goes missing. It’s harder.”</p><p>“Which allows the question,” Renjun leans back on his seat, facing the Children, “How did you turn him and why? I’m sure we’re all aware that turning a human without permission warrants punishment, Seo Youngho.”</p><p>Of course he knows, Johnny laments, he knew it even as he bit into Ten’s soft flesh, even as he drank his intoxicating blood. He clears his throat, looking at Renjun with relaxed shoulders, “He was dying. I saved his life.”</p><p>Next to him, Ten nods, “He did. Are you guys really going to punish someone for saving someone else’s life? Seems a little brain dead to me.” A pause, “Uh. No pun intended.”</p><p>“Of course we won’t.” Donghyuck says, “He’s Mark’s favorite.”</p><p>An echo of grunts and low gruffs, “Of course.”</p><p>Johnny is a little over a hundred years old. He should not feel as childish as he is now, wanting to stick out his tongue at the rest of the lords, especially not in front of the Elders. Still, he sits a little straighter, head held high.</p><p>It’s true, whether no one wants to admit it. He is Mark’s favorite and there’s nothing to be done about that. That’s just how things go in their council. The damn Elders all have favorites and they’re too shameless to hide it at all. There’s Donghyuck, who favors Taeil in all senses of the word, there’s Jeno who coddles Jaehyun and Doyoung even though the latter is a menace, there’s Jaemin and Yuta; Jisung and Taeyong. And the worst, in Johnny’s opinion, Chenle, terrible, scary Chenle, favoring his most awful descendant, Qian Kun. This causes awful pseudo nepotism and a lot of injustice, but not that he really cares: not when Mark himself is the favorite of the Elders. He’s the favorite’s favorite, which often lets Johnny get away with a lot of things. He hopes turning a human into a vampire would be no different.</p><p>“Yeah, I don’t really care about this either,” Taeyong shrugs, “Let’s just ignore this, welcome dear Ten into the community and call it a day.”</p><p>This is followed by nods of agreement from most of the table. Johnny, hopelessly foolish, almost believes this could be the case.</p><p>“Ah,” Donghyuck starts, high pitched voice and giving Taeyong a dramatic sigh that seems to say <em>oh</em>, <em>you half-witted child. </em>“I would love to do that, Taeyong, I really would. Nothing is more annoying to me than paperwork.”</p><p>Johnny hides an unimpressed snort—he knows all the paperwork falls onto Mark’s hands.</p><p>“But you see, our friend Ten here… well, he’s a Sunkissed.”</p><p>It’s like a bomb dropped, the room is silent, oh so silent, as if time has stopped. But it hasn’t. Because every single Childe is looking at Ten, their lips parted, their eyes sharp, their almost latent heart beating faster against their chests.</p><p>Johnny hisses.</p><p>Loud, intimidating, dark. This is his fledgling, how dare these bloodsuckers look at Ten the way they’re doing, as if Ten were a prize to be won. Johnny won’t let them, no matter how precious or rare Ten is, he will never let anyone harm him. Ten’s life is on him now, whether he wants it or not.</p><p>“I don’t understand,” Ten frowns, not backing down from the others’ stare. “What’s so great about that?”</p><p>Admittedly, Doyoung is the only one who doesn’t look perplexed. Johnny will admire his nerves of steel, right now he’s probably the only one he would trust Ten with besides the Elders. He speaks up, almost bored, “Of course Johnny didn’t tell you anything.” Doyoung looks away, exasperated. The rest of the Council remains silent. “We can’t step out into the sun. It burns us to various degrees. It causes me blisters, Jaehyun would probably combust if the sunlight hits him directly.”</p><p>“I think the one who has it best amongst us is Jungwoo.”</p><p>“I can go out with an umbrella and a thick coat during Autumn and Winter.” Jungwoo nods, his orange hair moving slightly as he talks. “Tangerine season, I’m so fortunate.”</p><p>Ten looks back at Johnny, as if silently asking for a confirmation. He nods.</p><p>Truth be told, he never mentioned it to Ten because it all seemed so—obvious. If they can’t eat garlic nor touch silver, surely they can’t go out into the sun either, right? That’s why they always went out at night! Johnny himself cannot step out into the sun, really, but indirect sunlight would not burn him the way it would Jaehyun or Taeyong. Everybody envied Jungwoo, even if it wasn’t much, to some of them, it meant freedom, it meant a piece of the humanity they lost when they converted. So Johnny understands the way they look at Ten. Because in their eyes, Ten is a door.</p><p>“If someone gets bitten by a Sunkissed,” Taeyong starts, unaware of the way he’s licking his lips, “Their blood mixes in with theirs. Temporarily, at least.”</p><p>“You get to go outside, just like them. Without being burned.” Yuta smiles faintly. His fangs had always been the sharpest of them all, Yuta was a proud vampire.</p><p>“But the more someone drinks from you the weaker you become, Ten,” Johnny says to his friend, but he’s not looking at him—he’s looking at the men honeying words like snakes. Under the table, his hand is still on Ten’s thigh, reassuring. “I don’t understand why we’re even having this meeting,” Johnny turns to look at Donghyuck, “What is there to talk about? Just tell them to fuck off and leave Ten alone. I’ll accept any punishment, but I need the Elders to tell these assholes to back off.”</p><p>“We won’t punish you, Johnny,” Chenle rolls his eyes, “You’re so dramatic. Can’t have a little family reunion without all of you going berserk.”</p><p>“Chenle is right,” Donghyuck says, “You guys are no fun.”</p><p>“Ok, can we leave then?” Johnny tries, growing exasperated. If the Elders decide not to punish him for breaking the rules just a teeny tiny bit, then all’s well that ends well, right?</p><p>“I have a concern, actually,” Kun speaks up and Johnny’s blood instantly boils. Of course is not that easy, isn’t it? Kun, so quiet and meticulous, leave it to him to be planning something, Johnny already knows hell would freeze over before Kun doesn’t fuck with him.</p><p>“What is it?” Chenle asks. <em>What is it?</em> Johnny sniffs, at least Mark isn’t as obvious with his favoritism as Zhong Chenle.</p><p>“Johnny,” Kun asks with his velvet voice, “Where was Ten bitten?”</p><p>Johnny stops. He knows exactly where Ten died, just a few blocks away from the club he used to bartender at. He also knows what Kun is trying to do.</p><p>“I don’t remember,” he says.</p><p>Kun stares at him, eyes cold and hard before breaking into a smile, polite, inoffensive. Doyoung sneers from the seat next to him, impassive; if there’s anyone who dislikes Kun more than Johnny, it is Doyoung. If there’s anyone Doyoung dislikes more than Johnny, it is Kun.</p><p>“That’s ok,” Kun says with ice. He turns to Chenle with a more genuine smile this time.</p><p>Chenle rolls his eyes. He turns to Johnny, “Johnny, look at me.” Johnny does so. Not because he wants to, but because it is something he has no control over. So are the powers of an Elder, so are the powers of an ancient Jiangshi. Johnny knows his battle is lost. “Where was Ten bitten?” It almost doesn’t feel like a question.</p><p>“In Kun’s jurisdiction,” Johnny says, the words bitter in his mouth. He hates Kun, he truly does.</p><p>“There we go,” Chenle says to Kun, bored.</p><p>“Under Council law, that means Ten belongs to Qian territory. Doesn’t it? Which, coincidentally enough, is the only one with a coven. Covens, which are great for new vampires to—”</p><p>“I’m his <em>Sire</em>, Kun,” Johnny says, not missing a beat, “No law or jurisdiction or stupid coven is going to change that.”</p><p>“That is true,” Donghyuck nods, “I mean, both of you are right, I suppose.”</p><p>Everyone turns to look at him and Donghyuck sighs, leaning back on his chair, looking at his painted nails. “Why must everything always fall on me?” Chenle is on his side, Mark on the other. “I don’t like this,” he turns to Ten, “Who even asked you to be a Sunkissed? That just means trouble wherever you go, fledgling. Here’s my advice, don’t go telling one you are one.”</p><p>“Everyone already knows.”</p><p>“Exactly. You fucked up.”</p><p>Ten twists his lips in frustration, arms crossed. “What’s the deal with Sunkissed vampires?”</p><p>“Besides you, Seoul has only ever seen one.”</p><p>“Who?”</p><p>Donghyuck smiles, bright, teeth like pearls—just a little more deadly. “Me.”</p><p>But Donghyuck is an Elder, Johnny thinks. Sunkissed are coveted, like a precious treasure, a dangerous one, and most vampires and other creatures of the night would risk a lot to get their hands on one. Unfortunately for them, Donghyuck is tenfold more dangerous than any ray of sunlight could ever be. Ten doesn’t have that power; he only has Johnny.</p><p>And Really, did Johnny actually save him that night? Or did he give Ten a fate worse than death?</p><p>“I’ll think about it,” Donghyuck says with finality, “You can take him with you for the time being, Johnny,” he looks at him and Johnny feels himself breathe a little better. He turns to Ten with the hint of a smile on his lips: they can go back home, at least there he knows Ten is safe. He ignores the pointed looks the Children give them, judging and cold and longing—longing for that sunlight blood that Johnny Seo won’t let them have.</p><p>ii</p><p>The ride back is mostly silent. The only thing that plays in the background is Ten’s trusty cassette that now lives perpetually in Johnny’s car’s player. He’s on his way on memorizing all of Madonna’s greatest hits and he’s oddly ok with that.</p><p>He looks back at Ten, side-eyeing the other boy: he seems pensive, a little dazed, even. After getting out of the council meeting, Johnny had ushered him into his car as quickly as possible. He really, truly did not want any of the Children sniffing at Ten or looking at him at or even thinking of him. Even to his own ears, Johnny knows he sounds possessive, but it is not unreasonable. He doesn’t want Ten to become a body bag to be milked and juiced by anyone. And he’s Ten Sire, of course if no one else protects him, who will?</p><p>Johnny’s hold on the steering wheel tightens as he recalls Kun’s words. That sneaky bastard. He’s not really worried about Ten’s well-being within a coven, he doesn’t really care that Ten was bitten in his jurisdiction, all Qian Kun wants is his blood, everyone can see that.</p><p>“Are you ok?” Ten says from his seat, arching a questioning brow. He snorts, seemingly amused, “You just bared your fangs.”</p><p>Johnny looks at Ten’s quirk of the lips and his body deflates, letting his shoulders relax. “I’m good, just... thinking.”</p><p>They park on Johnny’s driveway, the sight of his mansion familiar. It really is a house too big for just a single person, but it’s almost a Lord’s tradition to own one. All of the Council does, except Moon Taeil. He owns an expensive condo in the inner part of the city. And aside from Doyoung and Jaehyun and Kun and his coven, everyone else, too, lives alone. Johnny wonders if it’s truly in their nature or if they, somehow, have become self-fulfilled prophecies. Perhaps both.</p><p>“So,” Ten interrupts, looking too casual as they step inside back into their home. “What I gather from this is that not only am I a freak amongst humans, but I’m also one amongst vampires?”</p><p>Johnny frowns, “You’re not a freak.” <em>You’re special and good and wonderful</em>, he wants to say. “You’re cool.”</p><p>Ten sighs, “I mean I’ll take it all in stride. It’s not like I have a choice.”</p><p>“That’s one way to put it.” He pauses, “I hope the council didn’t scare you. I know the Elders can be so fucking scary, especially when they all gather together, but they’re level-headed. The Children are whom I was worried about. They’re... eccentric, to say the least. I put up with them because I have to, but you don’t.”</p><p>“They looked like a clown circus to me,” Ten shrugs, “Most of them anyway.” He takes out a small ball from his pocket, “I still have Jungwoo’s tangerine. Is it safe to eat it?”</p><p>“He has an estate full of tangerines, he grows them himself,” Johnny nods, “You can eat it, he wouldn’t mess with one like that.”</p><p>“Anyway, I don’t really care about the Council. What are they even gonna do to me? I’ll just stake them if they try anything funny.” Ten starts peeling the tangerine as they make their way into the kitchen, “What I did gather from all of this however, Johnny,” he pauses and does a twirl full of dramatic pizzaz, “Is that we can go roller skating.”</p><p>Johnny looks at him, blank. Ten takes another wedge from his tangerine, the juice staining his fingers and lips. “What does roller-skating have to do with anything?”</p><p>Ten rolls his eyes, offering him a wedge. Johnny takes it. “I’ve been wanting to go to the park, let’s go together. We can skate and then go get some food, sounds nice, right?” He pulls a face, “Not being able to go out during daylight sounds awful, I can’t believe I had no idea that was a thing, I really just thought you were mysterious like that.”</p><p>Ten’s ridiculous, Ten’s truly ridiculous. “Yeah, that’s right, Ten. I just simply refused to have a normal sleeping schedule.”</p><p>“Hey! Could be! What do you even have to do? You’re loaded and have no job.”</p><p>“Stop being so hurtful, rich people have feelings too,” he bites into his tangerine wedge. It’s really fucking good, Jungwoo deserves merit. “And I still can’t go out with you, Ten. I promise you’ll go to the park when you’re out of your fledgling stage but right now you can’t go by yourself.”</p><p>Ten frowns then shakes his head, “I said we could go. Not just me. It’ll be like a date.”</p><p>Johnny chokes on his tangerine juice and dear universe, if he had enough blood in his body he would feel the rush of it going to his cheeks right about now. Embarrassing, to say the least. He looks down at his now stained silk shirt. When he looks up, Ten is already looking at him, his red eyes gleaming under the chandelier light. “A date?”</p><p>“Let me bite you,” he says, “If I didn’t make myself clear.”</p><p>Oh.</p><p>Ten wants to transfer him blood. The very thing he was protecting him against from the Children. “Ten,” Johnny shakes his head, “You can’t just start giving your blood to anyone.” He flinches when Ten starts stepping towards him, slow, still looking at him.</p><p>“I’m not,” he says, “And you’re not just anyone, are you?”</p><p>Johnny chews on his lip, looking at anything but Ten’s face. This is ridiculous! How is this fledgling reducing him to a nervous mess, Johnny is a lord, he’s Ten’s Sire, he’s a council member! He’s -</p><p>“Bite me, then,” he lets out a shaky breath. Because that’s not really true, is it? Ever since Johnny laid eyes on Ten, it’s been him who’s taken a hold of Johnny, it’s been Ten who’s had the upper hand, it’s been Johnny who is powerless, like thawed ice under the hottest sun.</p><p>And the hot breath on his neck sends shivers down his spine, the tight hold Ten has on the nape of his head, his wicked smile so beautiful, as if he just won something, a candy, a prize—a smile so satisfied. In the middle of this, Johnny can’t help but note Ten is the perfect height for him to bite into Johnny’s neck.</p><p>There’s the sting of fangs against sensible skin. This is the first time he’s felt warm fangs breaking into him in so long, years and years. And this is the first he’s wanted it. He wants Ten’s blood inside him, mixing in with his. Not because Ten’s kissed by the sun, not because Johnny has been dying to step outside, no—because it’s Ten, he wants Ten.</p><p>He feels a rush of ecstasy course through his veins, so instinctual and perfect as Ten’s blood courses through him. He doesn’t know who the moan that reverberates throughout the room belongs to, but it doesn’t matter, Johnny is too high up in the clouds to care.</p><p>Ten steps back, a smudge of red on the corner of his lips as he admires the perfect punctures he just did on the side of Johnny’s neck. He smiles, so carefree and playful, like the very first time Johnny saw him in that club, tending to drinks under the neon lights. “You taste good,” he laughs.</p><p>Johnny smiles, his neck pulsating, his heart beating fast. “Consider the favor returned.”</p><p>o.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>
  <span class="small"> <b>sire - </b>a vampire who has bitten a human and turned them into a vampire. shares a special, intimate relationship with them.<br/><b>fledgling - </b>a newly turned vampire. first stage of vampirism. some of them tend to go into rampages so they must be under supervision of their sire until they reach adulthood (lasts about a month or two).<br/><b>lord - </b>a vampire who reaches a top status. has special abilities such as turning into bats.<br/><b>elder - </b>the highest ordained status for a vampire. rule over the rest of the vampires.<br/><b>childe - </b>a member of the council. </span>
</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. the anatomy of pleasure</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>heed of warning, this chapter has a sex scene. it's not super explicit but it's still enough for this story to be rated M so please, follow rating rules accordingly.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Ô, Wanderess, Wanderess<br/>
</strong>
  <strong>When did you feel your<br/>
</strong>
  <strong>most euphoric kiss? </strong><br/>
<strong>Was I the source<br/>
</strong>
  <strong>of your greatest bliss?”</strong>
</p><p>- Roman Payne</p><p>i</p><p>It's warm.</p><p>The sun is warm, Johnny <em>feels </em>it on his skin.</p><p>He’d never been a fusser, not when it came to vampire dos and dont’s. He was okay with not being able to eat garlic, he was okay with not having a reflection in the mirror, he was okay with not being able to go inside a house uninvited. Most vampires are okay with that, in the grand scheme of things, they've managed to lead perfectly normal lives like this. When it comes to the sun, however, they're bitter. They're angry and bitter and sad.</p><p>Mostly, Johnny just ignored it and moved on; he did not dwell too much on stuff he couldn't have, it was pointless in his eyes. But then again, Johnny’s affliction to the sun wasn’t as bad as others, he could look out from his window, he could still <em>see </em>daylight.</p><p>And he’s been content with that, just looking.</p><p>But now, the sunlight feels warm, fuzzy against his pale skin. He hasn’t been this happy in decades. “It’s warm,” he muses, looking at the palm of his hand intently as if he were some sort of plant absorbing light through photosynthesis.</p><p>Next to him, Ten looks on, a curious smile on his face. “I like how your eyes look under the sunlight. They’re pretty. Prettier.” Almost unconsciously, Johnny looks away from him, as if he could blink away the ruby in his eyes.</p><p>“Your tongue is honeyed, Ten Chittaphon,” he says without malice, tone airy as they walk along one of the park’s small dirt roads. “I bet you say that to all the vampires.”</p><p>“Only the tall ones,” Ten smiles back and Johnny likes the dimples that form under his eyes as they crinkle.</p><p>They sit under a tree, much to Johnny’s disappointment—every second he’s not under direct sunlight is a second lost—but it is nice. The scenery is beautiful, there are little kids laughing in the distance, and Ten is sitting next to him, babbling on about who knows what. Don’t get him wrong, usually, Johnny does pay attention, he finds anything that comes out of Ten’s mouth entirely fascinating. But right now, his mind just happens to be occupied with more important thoughts. Like how nice the sun feels, or how he would like to just lay on the grass and nap there, very much like a cat. Or how Ten looks oh, so beautiful under the sun, as if he belonged there, under the sunlight. Johnny supposes he does, dead or undead, sunkissed or not, Ten belongs anywhere and everywhere.</p><p>He shakes his head, willing those embarrassing thoughts away.</p><p>Ten pauses for a second, definitely taking note of Johnny’s absent eyes, before continuing with his wild storytelling. He might not say anything, but Johnny sees the way Ten lifts one of his legs to rest it above Johnny’s, making them a tangle of limbs. Johnny tenses but doesn’t move away, oh gods no, he would never move away.</p><p>Ever since last night, when Ten bit into him and Johnny almost passed out in delirium, things were—tense around them, to say the least. Not awkward, Johnny doesn’t think that’s a word in their joint vocabulary, but he recognizes an underlying tension in the air, like a tug of war he doesn’t understand. And at one end, it is Johnny panicking, tugging at something he doesn’t know. Ten is on the other end, pulling with a never-ending smile on his face. It’s as if Ten knows something and Johnny is just—</p><p>“You’re so pensive today,” he grins from under Johnny’s stare. Johnny jumps in surprise; Ten had somehow slithered his way into his lap, resting his head on Johnny’s thigh without preamble. How did it… how did it become <em>like this? </em>Is he not a good Sire? Does he not demand respect from his fledgling? What is happening?</p><p>“You have a petal on your eyelash,” Johnny says instead, lightly brushing the tiny thing off from him. Ten tries to see it, but he just ends up looking cross-eyed, making Johnny laugh, his stomach shaking.</p><p>“Don’t move, Johnny,” Ten exclaims, “I’m trying to rest here.”</p><p>“On me,” he says, unimpressed. “I’ll have you know you’re on me.”</p><p>“Yes. You’re very comfortable,” he grins again, “Your thigh is a really nice pillow. Do you work out? I’ve never seen you work out.”</p><p><em>Menace, </em>that’s what Ten is. A menace.</p><p>“Anyway,” he continues, clearly enjoying Johnny’s tumultuous heart, “I asked about your Sire, Johnny. Before you oh, so rudely ignored me.”</p><p>He blinks. “My Sire?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Ten nods, not moving an inch, still resting his head on Johnny. “You were turned in America, weren’t you? Did you have an American Sire named <em>William </em>or something?”</p><p>Johnny scoffs, thinking of sharp eyes and full eyebrows. The name William feels like a disservice. He pauses, thinking his words for a few seconds, Ten waits patiently, curious. “Yifan,” he finally says, “Not William. Yifan. And he was Canadian.”</p><p>“<em>Canadian</em>?” he asks before a pause. “Was?” Johnny sees the way Ten’s eyes widen after the question as if regretting it.</p><p>“Yes. He’s dead.” Johnny says, “Vampires can die too. Just not of age.” Johnny thinks of Yifan, tall Wu Yifan. With a serious expression and a deep voice, a little intimidating.</p><p>“What happened to him?” Ten asks before thinking better of it, “Nevermind. You don’t have to tell me.”</p><p>Johnny shrugs, letting out a sigh. There’s no point in not telling Ten, it’s Johnny’s job to educate him after all. He hums, letting the sun rays warm his bones. “Ten, do you know the difference between you and I?”</p><p>Ten raises an eyebrow, “It depends. Are you a big spoon or a little spoon?”</p><p>“<em>Ten.</em>”</p><p>“Ok, fine, I don’t know. You’re really tall. And I have good music taste.”</p><p>He rolls his eyes, “I’m a vampire Lord and you’re not.”</p><p>“<em>Ok,” </em>Ten frowns, “Sounds a bit elitist. May I remind you I’m a sun vampire?”</p><p>“Sunkissed.”</p><p>“Yes. That.”</p><p>Johnny leans back against the tree, “In the world of vampires, there are old traditions. Traditions that go back thousands of years.”</p><p>“Mhm. Tell me more about it.”</p><p>“There’s something called Inheritance,” he says, his hand too tempted to go through Ten’s head full of stark hair. He refrains himself with sheer willpower. “We don’t die, at least not like humans do, there’s no life cycle in the same way for us. There’s just being alive, being undead, and being... dead.” Johnny thinks back on Yifan; poised, tall—taller than Johnny himself—with alabaster skin and deadly scarlet eyes, intense and sharp. He was ancient, as old as time itself, in fact, Yifan was older than the Seoul Council Elders. He was nice too. He took Johnny under his wing and was kind and was funny and helpful. Yifan was warm.</p><p>And he was powerful. A power that only comes with time, with wisdom, with thousands of years. A vampire-like that cannot be killed, Yifan was above immortality. He could have everything he wanted, even life itself. And so, Yifan desired the only thing he could not have: death.</p><p>“When a vampire wishes to die, they look for an inheritor,” Johnny says into the now still scene, the nearby kids far gone now. To Ten, Johnny must look calm as the gentle breeze blows the hair out of his face. He hides white knuckles as he speaks, “They sire a fledgling of their liking. They teach them how to survive, they teach them the ins and outs, they even live together for a few years, if the vampire Sire wishes so. And then, when the time comes, the Sire asks his inheritor to kill him.”</p><p>He can see Ten’s eyes widen for a fraction and Johnny’s non-beating heart stills. “Yifan asked you to kill him.”</p><p>Johnny nods. “I could only do as he wished, that was the sole reason he even turned me. When you kill your Lord Sire, and only your own, you not only inherit their fortune and title but their powers as well. That’s the way vampires move. The only way to become a Lord is to kill one. The only way to become an Elder is to kill an Elder.”</p><p>“You mean the Elders...”</p><p>Their young faces and sweet smiles are nothing but a mask, Johnny thinks. The Elders only got to where they are because they murdered another Elder, a most difficult feat. The Children are only Lords because they killed their own Sires, just like Johnny did. He looks at Ten, his red eyes are nothing like everyone else’s, tainted with blood. Johnny thinks they look like strawberries, clear and bright. “Yes,” he nods.</p><p>“Johnny,” Ten sits up, suddenly alert, a frown on his face.</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Does that mean the only way I can become part of the council is to kill you?”</p><p>“Yes,” he says. Perhaps he didn’t bite Ten with the purpose of an inheritor like Yifan did when he turned Johnny, but it is technically true. Johnny is the only doorway Ten has to Lordship.</p><p>Ten lets out a sigh, visibly shaken, “Johnny, I won’t ever kill you,” he says, looking into his eyes, too serious, “Please don’t ever make me kill you.”</p><p>Johnny pauses for a second, looking back at Ten’s stricken face and astray hair blown by the wind. He looks ridiculous. “I won’t, I promise,” he laughs—a big, hearty laugh as he throws his head back; he doesn’t even think before grabbing Ten by the nape of his neck and pushing him against his own chest in a crooked hug.</p><p>Ten splutters as his face gets squished against Johnny’s body, “Why are you laughing?” he manages to say, “I’m being serious.”</p><p>“I know you are,” the remnants of laughter still bubbling from his chest, Johnny wipes an invisible tear.</p><p>“Do you think I couldn’t kill you? Is that it?” he crosses his arms with a frown, “I’m sure I could, you just think you’re better because you’re taller.”</p><p>“Definitely not right now, mosquito,” he shrugs. Johnny thinks Ten is bound to be a great vampire, he can feel it. Powerful and almighty and beautiful. And kind.</p><p>Johnny thinks, if Yifan was still here, he would absolutely love Ten.</p><p>ii</p><p>By the time the afternoon comes around, Johnny is feeling light-headed. It is one thing for Ten’s sun blood to be coursing through his body, it is another for him to react perfectly to the sun. He’s tired, Johnny’s not usually up during the day and his body is suffering the consequences.</p><p>It seems Ten is too, for they both decide to go eat in a little shadowed place in the corner of an avenue.</p><p>“Is it supposed to be this hot today?” Johnny wipes the forming beads of sweat from his forehead.</p><p>Ten shrugs, looking fresh as a cucumber. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, grandpa. Must be your weak vampire genes.”</p><p>Johnny grunts but doesn’t complain, it’s sort of true.</p><p>They end up ordering a plate of fries for both of them. Johnny thinks this is too close to a date but hey, friends can absolutely share food too. “What’s your favorite food?” he asks in between munches, looking as Ten mindlessly looks out into the street. He realizes that, even though he’s learned little by little about Ten in the past few weeks they’ve been living together, they don’t really ask each other much about the simple things. Johnny thinks as a Sire, it is important to know his fledgling.</p><p>Ten, who is biting and biting on his straw, puncturing the poor piece of plastic, turns around. Teething stage, Johnny thinks with amusement. “Cake. Tom Khao Pad. Pizza.”</p><p>“Pizza?”</p><p>“Yes. Do you not like it?”</p><p>“It’s ok,” he snorts, “You just didn’t seem the type.”</p><p>“Ah, not all of us are as pretentious as you 19th-century lot. What’s your favorite food? Caviar?”</p><p>“Shut up,” he laughs as he puts a fry in his mouth, giving Ten a soft kick under the table. Ten catches it with his own legs and doesn’t let go, effectively trapping Johnny’s foot. He lets Ten do as he pleases, swinging their tangled legs together without much thought. “I like duck. Peking duck. I also like meatballs.”</p><p>“Is that a euphemism?”</p><p>“You wish.”</p><p>“We should eat some,” Ten nods, eating the last remnants of their food. Gone too soon. “Not today but—some other time, yeah? We could go somewhere fancy for meatballs or duck. We could even go out at night since you won’t get tired that easily.”</p><p>“Sure.” Johnny’s heart swells. When was the last fucking time he went to a date? Not that Ten is asking him on a date but, it still kind of is? Right? Or maybe Johnny is overthinking everything because he’s a lonely little vampire and he has no—</p><p>“It’s a date,” Ten says, sure of himself in ways Johnny could not be.</p><p>“Ok,” is all he says instead. He shouldn’t, Johnny should not let Ten get away with everything, Johnny should not let Ten do as he pleases with him; he doesn’t think it’s proper. Doesn’t a Sire have too much control over a fledgling? Isn’t Ten supposed to be powerless against Johnny?</p><p>“You have ketchup on your mouth,” Ten grins, making fun of him and Johnny sighs, wiping it away with a napkin.</p><p>The sunset starts to set, the sky is painted with orange and yellow and Johnny thinks, even as the street is full of cars and people rushing back home after a day of work, that he has not seen anything as beautiful as the sight in front of him. He’s not one to get sentimental, but my god, did he miss the sun without even knowing it.</p><p>“I’m happy that I met you,” he blurts out. Johnny didn’t mean to sound so rushed but the words leave his mouth without preamble as if his body could not contain them anymore. “I mean, I’m not happy that you died but... I’m happy it was me who was there.”</p><p>Ten looks at him with a smile, not looking the littlest bit surprised. “Me too.” He pauses, seemingly thinking for a few seconds.</p><p>“You haven’t gone to the club. Am I keeping you occupied from having fun? We could go, you know?”</p><p>“No,” Johnny shakes his head, “I mean, you’re not keeping me from anything.“ Johnny is too embarrassed to tell him the truth. Johnny went clubbing to watch people, Johnny went there to see Ten, the bartender whom he was enthralled and fascinated with. He used to have time on his hands, now, not so much. But how does he say that without sounding pathetic?</p><p>“How lonely were you?” he asks—because Ten sees right through him, always.</p><p>“I was ok,” he says back—because vampires are proud, Johnny is no exception, even if he aches to be different from the rest of the Children. He knows he isn’t, they’re just the same kind of bad.</p><p>And it’s not like he is completely alone. He has friends, good friends. Namely in the He-Who-Shall-Not-Named and Mark Lee, but it’s one thing to have friends who have found an undead lover for themselves and another to float aimlessly through life with no one truly by his side and <em>only</em> his side. He hasn’t even seen Jaehyun or Mark much, not since the whole incident with Ten happened. Is he avoiding them? Maybe just a little. At least Jaehyun, he’s still mad at Jaehyun.</p><p>Ten hums, looking pensive. “I haven’t seen your little book in a while.”</p><p>“What little book?”</p><p>“You know,” he says, “The one you have. You sit and write in it sometimes. But I haven’t seen it.”</p><p>His journal, Johnny recalls. Where he writes stories of people he doesn’t know. He hasn’t whipped it out in a while. Truth is, he’s been busy with Ten to even think of other people, especially ones he doesn't know anything about. “I haven’t seen it,” he simply says, “I’ll look for it later.”</p><p>After the sun has completely set, Johnny feels a little better. He’s still somewhat drowsy, although rather than lack of sleep, it’s mostly energy spent under the sun that has got him like this. Ten, so young and bright, looking brand new, energetic to no end. Johnny is envious!</p><p>After promising Ten that they’ll visit a club soon enough when Johnny is sure Ten won’t go crazy with bloodlust in a room full of packed people, they decide to head back home.</p><p>“Please, Johnny,” Ten whines, hanging off from his arm in an attempt to persuade him, “Lend me your keys, I want to drive. Please.”</p><p>“What if you crash it?” His car is expensive, very much so. “What will you do then?”</p><p>“You have so much money, why are you worrying about that? And I won’t crash it! Have faith in me, little guy.”</p><p>Little guy? At this point Ten is just taunting him. He dangles the keys in front of him, giving up with a sigh, not much of a fight is put. Maybe it’d be nice for a change to have someone drive him around. Ten whoops and takes the keys from him, not losing a second before he gets inside the car, excited.</p><p>The drive back is quiet but not awkward, the radio plays a song Johnny doesn’t know how but he recognizes the voice. “Whitney Houston,” he murmurs mid-song.</p><p>Ten gives him a side glance, looking entirely too proud of him, “That’s damn right,” he grins, turning the volume up. Johnny feels conditioned to some degree, but it’s not too bad, the song is great anyway.</p><p>He feels tired but content enough as they park into the driveway. He rolls his eyes at the surrounding silhouettes outside their house.</p><p>“Scram it, Yuta!” he yells through the window. “And you too, Taeyong!” They’ve been like stinking flies after the council meeting, hovering outside the windows.</p><p>“Just a little sip, Ten,” Yuta grins as they make their way into the house. Johnny hisses at him, towering over Yuta by a few inches, making sure to straighten up his back and broaden his shoulders. Try as they might, Yuta and Taeyong are still smaller in height than Johnny.</p><p>Ten waves at them goodbye with a cheeky grin as Johnny ushers him inside. All of them are going to be the death of him—a death after death.</p><p>“Don’t invite them in,” he warns. “They won’t ever leave once they can step foot inside here.”</p><p>“Don’t worry, I don’t plan on giving them precious my blood. At least for free.”</p><p>“I don’t think it’s legal to sell your blood,” Johnny says, stretching himself as he slams the door behind him. It’s been a long day, he didn’t get to sleep last night and they both had been roaming around the city in broad daylight, even if he didn’t <em>need </em>any sleep, it would sure feel nice, especially after being under the sun for so long.</p><p>He makes his way into his room, yawning and aching for his bed. However, he senses someone behind him, following him closely.</p><p>“Ten?” he arches an eyebrow, stopping his trek to look at the other up and down.</p><p>Ten feigns innocence, doe-eyed. “What?”</p><p>“...nothing,” he sighs, rolling his eyes. He turns around, going back to his room yet again.</p><p>And Johnny would leave it at that, but he <em>feels</em> Ten’s steps, hot on his trail. He tries ignoring him, maybe he’s just heading upstairs too, that’s where Ten’s bedroom is, after all. But he’s there step after step after step. Johnny starts getting nervous.</p><p>Finally, when he’s at the threshold of his door, Ten is still there. Johnny turns around. “Ten. Why are you following me?”</p><p>Ten stares at him, elegant, the slope of his nose pretty and his eyes wide like a cat’s. Sharp like a cat’s, like a predator’s. Because then—Ten’s sweet smile turns wider, his lips giving way to fangs that send a shiver down his spine.</p><p>He blinks once and Ten is on him, pressing their bodies together, Johnny’s back against the door to his room. “Johnny,” Ten sings, voice soft and melodious, pleasant, as if he just didn’t give Johnny a heart attack. If Ten’s body, so hot and close to him, didn’t kill Johnny, what he says next does, “Don’t you know I’ve wanted you? All day long.”</p><p>“Ten,” he starts, breath hitching as the other tiptoes, trying to level their gazes.</p><p>“Scratch that,” he says, “Not just today. Everyday.”</p><p>“Ten,” Johnny says again, his voice breaking, lips parted. He doesn’t even know who he’s talking to or why. Is he talking to Ten or himself? Is he urging him on or stopping?</p><p>Ten steps forward, hands on Johnny’s chest and <em>why are his hands so warm? Shouldn’t they be cold? Why are they so hot even through Johnny’s shirt?</em> His breath shakes as Ten’s face leans in. His eyes are shiny, there’s his usual spark of mischief, the one Johnny loves so much, but there’s also—something else. Something dark, something Johnny recognizes, bubbling under Ten, bubbling under Johnny himself.</p><p>“Johnny,” Ten says, and isn’t it funny how he’s managed to reduce him to this? Pathetic excuse of a Sire, letting a short fledgling crawl under his skin, to control him like this, to make Johnny <em>want</em> him like this. “Johnny,” he says again, a breathy whisper as he wraps his arms around his neck, pushing Johnny’s face towards him.</p><p>Johnny shakes his head, not moving an inch. He knows a Sire will always love his fledgling, it is in their nature to gravitate towards them. But this isn’t just his fledgling, this is Ten, and ever since Johnny laid eyes on him, he knew there was something else worth seeking for. Ten, human or vampire, is Ten—and Johnny, well, he wants him. As much as he fights it, as much as he doesn’t think it is a good idea, Ten makes Johnny happy.</p><p>Johnny watches it all in slow-motion; he sees as Ten leans forward, smile gone, eyes closed and lips oh, so pretty. He closes his eyes as well, he has manners.</p><p>And they kiss, Johnny lets it. He feels Ten’s soft lips as he goes pliant and something within Johnny breaks. He kisses him back, slow at first. Slow and tentative as he places one hand on Ten’s waist, the other on his back and he feels so <em>good</em> against Johnny’s body. He likes the way his body feels, he likes the way his lips feel sleek against his own and when Ten tries to part Johnny’s mouth open, as if asking for permission, Johnny almost moans into the kiss.</p><p>Ten’s a dancer. He’s always known this, the way he moves is always like a dance, enticing and magical and damn fun. And this is no exception. Ten closes the door behind them with a slam and he pushes Johnny off. He smiles at him, sweetly, and is he asking Johnny for something? Permission? Somehow, with no words, Johnny thinks this is the last chance he has to turn back. He doesn’t want to.</p><p>This time it is Johnny who leans forward again, crashing their lips together and that’s it, that’s all it takes for him to let go. Ten grins into their kiss before pushing them off onto the bed and they go down <em>hard.</em> Ten still doesn’t know how to control his force and Johnny puffs out a groan as his back hits the mattress. God, he hopes they don’t break it.</p><p>“Fuck,” Ten giggles, hiding his face on Johnny’s chest, his face red, “I’m not used to this?”</p><p>“Used to what?” Johnny murmurs.</p><p>“Being so strong. I think I could break you, if you let me.”</p><p>“Promise?”</p><p>Ten throws his head in laughter and Johnny follows him a second later. <em>If this isn't right then what is?</em> Johnny thinks.</p><p>Ten stands up, leaving an empty, cold space next to Johnny and he wants it back, almost pouting before he catches himself. He sees as the other man walks up to the small cassette player that’s taken residence in his room just a few days after Ten moved in. There’s now a total of five of them scattered all around the house, always playing pop music wherever Ten walks into a room and has any say in the matter. The soft sounds of Ten’s favorite album play in the background. Johnny knows all the lyrics by heart now, he feels like he can call himself a true Madonna fan.</p><p>He doesn’t let his mind wander for too long when Ten comes back and Johnny feels his nimble fingers on the buttons of his shirt, Ten is too desperate and who is he to tell him no? Johnny unbuttons the shirt himself, urging Ten to do the same. He feels the other’s intense stare on his naked torso and Johnny can’t help the shiver that runs down his spine. It’s crazy, Ten is crazy for making Johnny feel like this without even laying a finger on him.</p><p>And when Ten’s mouth is on him—<em>truly </em>on him, around him, hot and wet and enveloping, Johnny just outright whines into the silence of the room. Ten hums in acknowledgment, a little bit arrogant. Dear god, what did Johnny get himself into?</p><p>Whatever it is, he doesn’t want to give it back, he’s intertwined with Ten, each other’s blood coursing through the other and even now, as his thighs tremble under Ten’s lips, he can feel it—he can feel his own blood reacting within him, rushing through his body in pleasure. Ten leaves Johnny aching with a wet <em>pop</em> sound, making him let out a sigh of simultaneous disappointment and relief. It’s too much for his senses right now, Johnny doesn’t know how long he can last like this.</p><p>Suddenly, he can feel Ten’s lips on his thighs, nipping at the soft skin, definitely leaving marks that no one else is going to see. He didn’t think Ten would be territorial, who else is even around to be his competition? But Ten keeps going, biting and kissing and licking at his thighs and all Johnny can do is close his eyes and let it all happen and—</p><p>“<em>Fuck,</em>” Johnny yells, eyes still closed as an unmeasurable amount of pleasure stings him. He’s dazed and confused and he thinks he blacks out for a second.</p><p>Ten bit him. Ten is sucking blood from him.</p><p>Johnny opens his eyes, a little bit terrified that Ten has gone off the rails in blood-lust, but when he looks down, Ten is only looking back at him, red eyes glowing in the dark as he sucks from Johnny’s bleeding thigh, almost taunting, clearly sane, lucid. Somehow, that’s even worse.</p><p>The sight of Ten moaning, drinking Johnny’s blood from his thighs is all it takes for the dam to break. Because for them, above everything, human blood is the most pleasurable thing that's ever been. And, perhaps he forgot to teach Ten the hardest lesson of all—vampires are just a little bit insane.</p><p>Johnny growls, no inhibitions left, as he takes hold of Ten, his lips raw and red and stained with the liquid red that spills in light rivulets from Johnny’s plush thighs. He flips him over, as easily as it would to blow a feather; Ten is light and Johnny just unveiled muscles he hasn’t used in decades, the pulsing veins in his arms bulging out.</p><p>They’ve reached bloodlust, Johnny can barely think straight right now, his mind fuzzy, but he knows they’ve reached it, if Ten’s glossy eyes and hissing sounds are anything to go by. For once, he doesn’t care.</p><p>He bites into Ten everywhere, little punctures across his naked body, in his neck, in his collarbone, in his torso and legs, drinking his blood and making him moan and wither in pleasure and all Ten can do is wiggle beneath him, growing harder and harder as he pulls at Johnny’s hair. It feels delirious, not just the taste of Ten’s blood, but the taste of <em>all of him, </em>his sweat, his skin, his bloodied lips, his cum, his kisses. Johnny is going mad as his senses go into overdrive.</p><p>“How lonely were you?” Ten whispers into his mouth, the copperish taste of blood in their mouths.</p><p>“Very.”</p><p>And then, when he’s finally inside Ten, fully, wholly, completely, Johnny knows there’s no going back ever again to anything that isn’t Ten.</p><p>“Fuck, fuck, Johnny,” Ten starts to babble as Johnny pushes into him, harder, Ten’s legs wrapping around his body, squeezing his eyes shut and Johnny can’t do anything but do as Ten pleads. He feels warm and hot and good and Johnny is seeing stars, the feeling of Ten around him and the aftertaste of his blood still in his mouth are enough to drive him over the edge.</p><p>And then, as in all good sex, they start floating.</p><p>Johnny doesn’t even notice it at first, his mind is too preoccupied with fucking the brains out of Ten, who is too baffled to even see anything past his nose. But they’re mid-air, just above Johnny’s bed, <em>still </em>not done.</p><p>Johnny pauses for a second, looking around. Ten opens his eyes, wondering why in the hell have they stopped. And he takes it all in stride, really, as Ten usually does, and Johnny wants to pepper him in kisses when he just shrugs, urging him to go on. <em>Like A Virgin</em> plays in the background, their cassette still on and filling any silence in the room.</p><p>Ten pushes him into the wall, hard, Johnny’s bookshelf falls, his mirror gets smashed, his bed frame breaks, his whole room is a mess because Ten doesn’t know to measure his vampire strength and Johnny lets him do as he pleases, following his rhythm with every step.</p><p>Johnny burns that night, the most alive he’s ever been, in both life and death. He lets Ten consume him, he lets Ten eat him whole, he lets Ten suck every drop of desire and love and lust Johnny has left in him.</p><p>iii</p><p>When Johnny wakes up, the sky outside is still dark.</p><p>His schedule is messed up, he doesn’t know for how long he’s slept, he doesn’t even know what day it is.</p><p>He looks at the empty bed sheets next to him with a frown, where is Ten? He should be here cuddling with Johnny, he thinks it’s time to tell him he likes being the little spoon. “Ten?” he says into the empty room, his voice scratchy and unused and he thinks he might’ve slept longer than intended. <em>8:09</em> the clock reads and Johnny realizes he slept through last night and today’s entire daylight.</p><p>He sighs, stretching his back and getting ready for a cup of tea and some breakfast eggs. “Ten,” he calls again when he steps into the hallway, his voice echoing throughout the empty house.</p><p>When there’s no reply, Johnny frowns. He walks towards Ten’s room, messy as always, filled with his scent. But he isn’t there. He’s not in the kitchen or the studio or the living room. He’s not anywhere in the house. Dread starts pooling at the bottom of Johnny’s stomach, his pulse spiking up.</p><p>“Ten,” he keeps repeating, as if somehow Ten is going to appear out from behind the door and surprise Johnny like the little devil he is. He doesn’t.</p><p>He rushes outside, the moon already in full display, silver and whole. “You,” he says, rushing towards the two silhouettes camped out on the porch, looking eternally bored. “Where is Ten? Did you see him come out?”</p><p>The red-haired man looks up from where he’s leaning on the wall, a cross rosary hanging from his pale chest. He grins and Johnny wants to punch the fangs out of his mouth. “Well, well, well. I thought you didn’t want to talk to us, Johnny Seo. You and your boyfriend too good for us?”</p><p>“Nakamoto, where the fuck is Ten? I’m one second away from ripping your throat open.”</p><p>Taeyong raises his hands in mock surrender, “We didn’t do anything.”</p><p>“Please, you’ve been camping out here at night like blood-sucking leeches. You either did something to him or saw where he went.”</p><p>“Perhaps we did.”</p><p>“<em>Lee Taeyong,</em>” he growls, taking a hold of Taeyong’s lace shirt.</p><p>“You know, you should be thanking us,” Yuta says, removing Johnny’s fingers, one by one, from Taeyong, arrogant smile on his face. “If it weren’t for us, you’d have no damn idea where your Ten is.”</p><p>“Where. Is. He.”</p><p>Taeyong sighs, “Darling, the only place I wouldn’t go looking for him.”</p><p>“Where?” he repeats.</p><p>Yuta rolls his eyes, distaste evident on his face, “Baohu Zhe coven. Qian Kun took your Ten.”</p><p>o.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. longing</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>“The feelings that hurt most, the emotions that sting most, are those that are absurd—The longing for impossible things, precisely because they are impossible; nostalgia for what never was; the desire for what could have been; regret over not being someone else; dissatisfaction with the world’s existence. All these half-tones of the soul’s consciousness create in us a painful landscape, an eternal sunset of what we are.”</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Fernando Pessoa</strong>
</p><p>i</p><p>The sound of Ten’s fingers against the wooden table resonates throughout the room, the boiling water filling the rest of the silence. The kettle whistles. “I don’t really like tea. I’m more of a coffee guy.”</p><p>“Really?” Kun looks up, not stopping from pouring the hot water into two mugs, steam swirling around his hands. “Perhaps you haven't had a good one.”</p><p>“I’ve had plenty.”</p><p>“Not mine,” he smiles, his fangs bright and entirely white under the kitchen’s dim light. They’re sharp, sharp, sharp. Maybe sharper than anyone else’s Ten has ever seen. That’s not to say much, of course, he’s only met a handful of vampires before, but something tells Ten that Kun isn’t just any vampire.</p><p>A Lord, for starters, a council member, a coven leader. Ten sighs, “It better be good if you’re forcing me to drink it.”</p><p>“Honey?”</p><p>“Sure.”</p><p>The sound of the spoon clinking against the teacup is delicate, Ten sighs, it's almost a juxtaposition of how he's feeling right now, at the other vampire’s mercy. The room is warm, with dim lights engulfing the place in a soft, orange hue. It’s a very quaint and cozy place, one that Ten wouldn’t assume belonged to an infamous vampire coven.</p><p>Kun sits in front of him, placing the hot mug in the middle and sliding it to his side, much self-assured and with a dimpled, polite smile. Ten resists the urge to purse his lips. He sighs instead.</p><p>“It’s good, I promise.”</p><p>“I believe you,” Ten says, taking the mug. It’s good, of course it is, a little sweet and tangy and warm. He takes two gulps. “Does it have any blood?” He thinks back to the coffee Johnny makes them every morning.</p><p>Kun takes a sip himself, nodding at the flavor. “Blood? That would ruin the flavor, Ten. It’s all herbs from my garden. Even the honey is from Yangyang’s honeybees.”</p><p>Honey Bees? What a wonderfully organic coven. “Whatever,” he gulps down, “Why am I here?”</p><p>Kun laughs and Ten wants to know how the hell he manages to look so calm, so unbothered, in the midst of all this. Didn’t he just kidnap Ten from his home? Or—Johnny’s home.</p><p>“Do you really want me to explain it?”</p><p>“I suppose not,” he says, “But I do have to tell you right now, Qian Kun, or whatever your name is, I’m not going to bite you.”</p><p>“Why not?”</p><p>He hesitates for a moment. Because Johnny told him not to? “I don’t want to.”</p><p>“See? Johnny is being greedy. He wants you all for himself, not a drop of your blood for anyone else.”</p><p>That isn’t quite true—Johnny never asked Ten for any of his blood; Ten gave it to him because he wanted to. Ten hasn’t been doing this whole vampire business for too long, really, but sharing blood seems like a very intimate act. How dare Kun ask him this. After he kidnapped Ten, nonetheless.</p><p>“Well, I’m not going to, so please just let me go.”</p><p>“I’m afraid I won’t do that,” Kun says, leaving the porcelain teacup on the side, “You’re officially the Baohu Zhe’s prisoner. Until you agree to give me some of your blood, that is.”</p><p>How gutsy. “That’s ok,” he crosses his arms, putting his own cup aside as well, the tea growing colder, “Johnny will come for me. Then you will see. He’ll make you pulp, I’ll make sure of that.”</p><p>Kun laughs and it reminds Ten of the honey he poured into their tea. From Yangyang’s honey bees, apparently. This man looks less intimidating than how he did back at the council meeting. He supposes even vampires like to keep up appearances just as humans do. “You seem to have high regard for Johnny, Ten. Perhaps he could beat Nakamoto in a battle of wits, or Kim Doyoung in a battle of strength. But I’m not like them.”</p><p>“You’re right, I don’t think Johnny could be this cocky.”</p><p>“It’s not a sin to know what you’re capable of.” And it sounds so self-assured, so confident. It's the right amount of infuriating.</p><p>Ten doesn’t have time to retort before the kitchen door slams open.</p><p>“A guest,” a short boy says, eyes wide and an enthused grin on his face, “We have a guest. Finally.”</p><p>“He’s not a guest, he’s a prisoner,” someone else says from behind the boy. Ten recognizes him as Kun’s shadow back in the meeting, stoic and serious.</p><p>“That’s kind of rude,” the boy says as he slides next to Ten, the smile on his face undeterred, “Hi, I’m Yangyang.”</p><p>“You’re the one with the honey bees,” Ten nods, "I'm Ten. It seems that I'm your prisoner."</p><p>Yangyang sighs before sending a glare towards Kun, who says nothing. "I told you to ask nicely."</p><p>"I did. And he said no. So now he can't leave."</p><p>"Seems reasonable," Shadow says, taking a seat at the kitchen table.</p><p>"Oh, this is Sicheng," Yangyang says with absent-mindedness. "Anyway, did you know you are our first guest since... well, since I got here. Which was a very long time ago. I won't tell you how old I am though, I like to appear youthful."</p><p>"You do look quite young."</p><p>"Thank you, you do too."</p><p>"Thanks? I'm only 24, actually."</p><p>"You're a baby," Yangyang coos, "A tiny little baby."</p><p>Ten frowns, "Ok, is everyone in this house annoying?"</p><p>Sicheng sighs, stealing Ten's mug from him and taking a loud sip, "You have no idea."</p><p>Ten wonders if being annoying and grating comes with being a vampire. There was the council, for starters, and now this coven. Perhaps it's a gene from the old days. Or an acquired trait from having lived so many, many years. It's a good thing Ten isn't like that.</p><p>"Well, Ten, since you're staying here for a little bit... do you want to play monopoly?"</p><p>"Huh? Monopoly?"</p><p>Yangyang nods, "A new edition just came out. I've been trying to convince everyone to play with me, but only Lucas and Hendery ever want to. C'mon, I'm sure if you play, Kun-ge will play too. And if he plays, Sicheng plays too. And I will be very, very happy."</p><p>Ten turns to look at Kun and is surprised to see him look the tiniest bit—distressed. How wonderful.</p><p>"Ok, let's play."</p><p>ii</p><p>"You know, Jaehyun, don't you think this is your fault? Just a tiny bit?" Johnny says with a gruff as they walk through wild greenery, a few sharp branches digging into Johnny's sides.</p><p>"Not at all, Johnny," Jaehyun sighs, following along.</p><p>"I mean, you do see where I'm coming from, right?"</p><p>"Not really."</p><p>Johnny winces in disgust, his shoes make a squelching noise as they step over mud. This is atrocious.</p><p>"He doesn't, but I do," Doyoung pipes in from the back rear, "You're a sad little man, Youngho, and you're pissed because you couldn't even keep your boyfriend safe."</p><p>Doyoung has the talent, the absolute, amazing talent to be the most infuriating person there ever was. He just knows how to grind your gears the right way. What Jaehyun even sees in him will forever be a mystery to Johnny. "He was kidnapped."</p><p>"Exactly. Right under your nose," Doyoung snorts, "Now that's humiliating. Imagine being embarrassed like that by Qian Kun of all people. I wouldn't show my face anywhere if I were you."</p><p>"The only reason why he knew about Ten was because you two couldn't keep yourselves out of my business. Now he's in the danger and if something ever happens to him—"</p><p>"He won’t do anything, don't be dramatic. We have rules, you fool, they can’t touch Ten.”</p><p>"Kun knows no limits, you know that better than anyone Doyoung."</p><p>"Kun wouldn't mess with the Elders. Not to that extent," Jaehyun shakes his head.</p><p>"Well, he just fucking did, Jaehyun. And I'm going to beat the living shit out of him when I see him, just you wait."</p><p>"Now, I don't like getting my hands dirty, but I do hope you give him a good beating. Get that annoying smirk off his face. That'll show him."</p><p>Jaehyun gives his husband a silent shake of the head, "I knew this was the only reason why you wanted to come along."</p><p>Doyoung shrugs, "Why else, Jae? Spending time with Johnny? In my free time?"</p><p>Johnny blocks them out, still reeling at everything. First of all, the bugs in this place as they walk along a mud road are absolutely disgusting. Second of all, he has no idea where Ten is or what is being done to him.</p><p>The thing about the Baohu Zhe coven is that—it's timeless. Hidden somewhere in time, somewhere in the world, no one but its members knows where it is. This is why Jaehyun was even brought along by Johnny; he has a perfect sense of smell and Johnny supposes he was his best choice even if it meant bringing Doyoung along.</p><p>He wonders what they're even doing to Ten right now. Torturing him? Experimenting with him? Johnny knows Kun is an ex-doctor, one of those plague ones from the 1800s. He might be cutting up Ten right now into a hundred little pieces and sniffing his blood for unknown purposes. "Agh," he shakes his head, tormented.</p><p>Doyoung and Jaehyun share a look. He's going insane.</p><p>"Johnny," Jaehyun starts, "C'mon, keep moving, we're not gonna get anywhere if you just stand there clutching your head and crying."</p><p>"This is my fault," he says, dejected, "How the hell did he even manage to get inside? Into my room?"</p><p>"I bet it was Sicheng," hums Doyoung. "That brat."</p><p>"C'mon, Johnny don't beat yourself up. I bet Kun only wants some of Ten's blood, there's no way he's going to harm him."</p><p>Johnny tries to calm himself down, his mind trying to focus on the buzzing sound of a mosquito flying near him. Jaehyun does have a talent for calming him down. Perhaps he is not too bad. And he's probably right as well, what good would it be to harm Ten? He's the only one with sunkissed blood amongst them anyway. The Elders would never, ever forgive him for harming another vampire like that. Yes. Everything will be fine. Johnny will find the coven, he will punch the lights out of Kun and he will take Ten back home, safe and sound. Hopefully with all of his blood and limbs and organs intact. He is simply overreacting.</p><p>No, no, no, please. Please, no. There's a sudden wave of distress resonating in Johnny’s head. It’s Ten, it’s literally Ten, he can feel his fledgling—he's in anguish.</p><p>He’s going to kill Kun.</p><p>“Are you ok?” Jaehyun asks, stopping his conversation with Doyoung, “You’re hissing.”</p><p>“I’m not,” he growls, waving away the mosquito from his face. The squelch beneath his feet is even louder now. “C’mon, let's find that damn Qian.”</p><p>iii</p><p>Ten is distressed. He is in anguish, he is so goddamn upset.</p><p>“Yangyang, don’t lie, I’m pretty sure you’re cheating!” Ten yells, pointing an accusing finger at the boy.</p><p>“No, I’m not!” Yangyang taunts, sticking out his tongue before taking away all of Ten’s rent money. “How can I even cheat in Monopoly?”</p><p>Ten turns to look at Kun with a baffled expression on his face. “He’s cheating isn’t he? How is he cheating?”</p><p>Kun shrugs, clearly dissatisfied with the whole ordeal too, if the stink eye he’s giving Yangyang is anything to go by, “I don’t know how he does it.” Sicheng gulps down the rest of his beer, not interested in the game in the slightest.</p><p>“Nah, how can little Yangyang be cheating?” Lucas says from next to him, “He’s just good like that.”</p><p>“He always wins, Lucas,” Xiaojun scratches his chin, “Like, always. Either dumb luck or he’s definitely cheating.”</p><p>“I’m calling it, he’s cheating.” Ten crosses his arms, Yangyang’s grin is too arrogant for his liking, it really can’t be all dumb luck, Ten is sure of it.</p><p>Uno had been ok, poker had been alright. I mean, perhaps the boy really was just lucky. But Monopoly was just too much of a stretch, especially when he kept stealing all of Ten’s and Kun’s lands.</p><p>“Whatever,” Kun throws away his cards on the table, “Yangyang’s going to win again.”</p><p>“I should’ve betted something,” he says, “Is it too late to do that?”</p><p>“Absolutely,” Xiaojun yawns, “I’m going to sleep, I think it’s almost dawn.”</p><p>“Yeah, me too,” Sicheng adds, “Too sleepy to keep up with Yangyang and Lucas.”</p><p>Ten side-eyes the vampires, curious. Do they all have a room to sleep in? Where… will he sleep? Will they put him in a dungeon? He is, in Kun’s words, a prisoner, after all. He’s getting very sleepy as well; the last time he could’ve gotten a day’s worth of sleep was when he and Johnny—</p><p>“Hendery, can you show Ten where he’s going to sleep?” Kun says, standing up, “It’ll be in the empty room next to yours.”</p><p>I get a room? Ten blinks. Of course, he says nothing. Never show your enemy your weaknesses and all that. He wordlessly stands up, following Hendery instead.</p><p>“Ah, we’re going to be neighbors,” the other says, an amiable smile on his face, “That’s great. Lucas used to be my neighbor but he snores a lot so I asked Kun to move him to the basement. Which he did.”</p><p>Ten raises an eyebrow, “We’re not neighbors, I’m your prisoner. And I’m only staying here until Johnny comes for me.”</p><p>“Johnny?” Hendery laughs, his black hair a little too long as it falls above his eyes, “The really tall one, right? He’s cute. I just don’t think he could beat Kun.”</p><p>Ten mumbles, “Kun doesn't look that strong to me anyway.”</p><p>“Trust me, I’m sure he could take on every single of the Children. He’s not going to, though,” he sighs as they round a corner. The house is big, probably even bigger than Johnny’s. It makes sense, this is a full house, a whole coven. There’s a lot of empty rooms around the place, even then, it doesn’t seem empty, not with all these people living here.</p><p>“Anyway,” Hendery continues, “You do know that the Baohu Zhe coven is famous for being hard to find, right? Your boyfriend is probably having a hard time looking for you. It’d be easier if you just… you know.”</p><p>“Gave Kun some of my blood?”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>“No way.” Ten shakes his head. It’s not even about it being a hard thing to do, it’s about...the principle of it all! How can he give some of his blood to someone who kidnapped him! Snatched right from the bed he was happily sleeping in. “I would rather eat my own finger than to give any of you my blood.”</p><p>“Well, that’s ok,” Hendery smiles, “I do love having a neighbor, after all.”</p><p>Ten harrumphs and closes the door behind him, locking it, he doesn’t really want to deal with Kun sneaking up on him in the middle of the day and putting his neck right under Ten’s fangs, no thank you.</p><p>Even so, that morning Ten thinks he sleeps oddly well, the bed is pretty comfortable.</p><p>iv</p><p>“It’s so hot, why is it so hot? It’s nighttime.” Doyoung whines loudly, wiping the sweat away from his forehead. “Fuck, Jaehyun, can you please move away? You’re sticky and sweaty.”</p><p>“Geez,” Jaehyun mumbles, “I know you get moody with heat but stop pushing me.”</p><p>The sweltering heat of the desert is atrocious, Johnny is amazed at how much sweat they can collect amongst the three of them. Aren’t deserts supposed to be freezing at night? It seems all aspects that could go wrong did, in fact, go wrong for Johnny. Ten got kidnapped, he is stuck with Doyoung and Jaehyun and now, of course, he is melting like a poor, watery popsicle.</p><p>“Can we take a break?” Doyoung speaks up again, “I am tired and soaked. My legs hurt and my back aches. I am not made for this, I am a frail being.”</p><p>“No, we cannot,” Johnny sends him a glare even though his legs are hurting too. It takes a lot for a vampire to get tired—they do, after all, have amazing stamina. But they also have limits, and perhaps a whole day of walking through jungles and deserts with no rest might test the limits for a vampire. Especially one that doesn’t exercise, Doyoung is a case in point. “Ten’s life is on the line here and you want to rest? Might as well just leave you here.”</p><p>“I want to rest too,” Jaehyun stretches, his back cracking. “I’m sure if Ten’s dead then he’s dead already.”</p><p>“Jaehyun.”</p><p>Jaehyun snorts with a roll of eyes, “C’mon, just ten minutes, I can see you getting tired too.” Johnny sighs.</p><p>They end up resting on a cool rock, both Doyoung and Johnny mumbling and growling—the heat and long walk slowly getting to them. At least the cool rock felt relieving to his skin. Jaehyun passes them a few blood bags that, thankfully, have been kept cool through their trek. Johnny gulps down his in an instant, the flavor soothing his senses as soon as the liquid is in his system. He feels his shoulders relax as the tension in his body leaves him; ok, maybe Doyoung was right.</p><p>He sighs in content as he finishes off his blood, the package clear and sucked dry. Next to him, Jaehyun and Doyoung are reeling in the same way, looking pleased and satisfied as they happily suck on their own blood bags.</p><p>He clears his throat as a light breeze decides to blow in that moment, feeling like a gift from heaven. “Um,” he starts, looking at the starry sky of the desert. It’s actually very beautiful—once you stopped walking under the heat and paid attention to it. “I think I needed this break.”</p><p>“You did,” Jaehyun nods, the dimples in his cheeks deepening as he sucks on his bag. He looks at Johnny with raised eyebrows, “It’s okay, Johnny, I know you’re feeling stressed but… at least keep your head clear.”</p><p>Jaehyun is right. He very much is most of the time, that’s the kind of person Jung Jaehyun is; level-headed, an anchor, and sometimes, with Doyoung by his side, just the right amount of insane. For the most part, he knows Jaehyun doesn't do things out of malice. The absolute malice is his husband, but not him.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Johnny blurts out before he regrets it, coughing into his mouth. “For, you know, blaming you for everything.”</p><p>Jaehyun smiles at him, patting his thigh, “Don’t worry about it. I know you’ve been under stress with all this fledgling business. I’m used to being blamed for everything anyway,” he gives Doyoung a surreptitious glance. In Johnny’s eyes it looks more fond than anything, but it’s still good that Doyoung doesn’t hear the quip, too content humming and sipping on his blood bag. Johnny laughs in silence at Jaehyun’s words, he really did miss talking to him, he needs to give Ten a proper introduction to his best friend soon.</p><p>“I like him, you know?” Johnny says, “He’s not just a fledgling. At least, I don’t think he is. I actually like him.”</p><p>“Yeah?” Jaehyun asks although he doesn’t look surprised. “And does he like you?”</p><p>He thinks back to Ten moaning his name and it is absolutely embarrassing, “I think so?” he manages to stutter out. With all of the following misgivings Johnny hadn’t really thought much about what had happened that night; now that he can pause and think about it, a rush of emotions flood his mind.</p><p>“You are as red a strawberry,” Jaehyun snorts, “It’s probably all the blood you just drank.”</p><p>“Shut up,” he sighs, “I think he does like me, I just... don’t know if we should...date?” Is that the word that the youngsters are using now? Date? Boyfriend? It sounds so dumb, whatever happened to beloved? He turns to Jaehyun with a frown, “Would you date your fledgling?”</p><p>“I’m married, Johnny, I can’t really date anyone.”</p><p>“You know what I mean,” he says, “I don’t know, imagine if Doyoung was your fledgling.”</p><p>“That sounds like a terrible parallel universe, friend.”</p><p>“I suppose so.” He hunches his shoulders, “I don’t know, don’t you think there is an imbalance of power? Between a fledgling and his sire? I’m supposed to take care of him, to guide him, not to… bed him.”</p><p>“You bedded him?”</p><p>“Shh,” he turns to look at Doyoung, who is now seemingly napping, his mouth open and snoring. He whispers, “Don’t tell Doyoung, you snitch, he won’t ever let me hear the end of it.”</p><p>Jaehyun rolls his eyes, “Did you know he calls me a snitch too? Honestly, Johnny, you two would get along so well if you tried a little more.”</p><p>“Trust me, I do try and if only for your sake.”</p><p>Jaehyun sighs, looking at the horizon of dunes and sand. Finally, after a few seconds, he says, “There could be, you know? Your power dynamics could be messed up. But also, they could not. I know you, you’re the most placid guy around here, Johnny. Just take it easy… Ten seems a little—” he pauses, “Well, he seems smart, for one… a good head on him.”</p><p>Johnny sighs, crushing the blood bag in his hand. Too much thinking and not enough moving. He can't start wondering about dating Ten when the guy is still kidnapped by Kun. Probably being tortured as well.</p><p>“Well, let's leave the thinking for some other day. Hopefully never,” he grumbles, getting up from their trusty rock. “C’mon wake Doyoung up, we need to get moving again.”</p><p>“Ugh,” Jaehyun groans, “He's going to bite my hand off, he hates being woken up during a nap.”</p><p>“Good, maybe he’ll swallow your thumb and choke.”</p><p>Jaehyun laughs, loud—it’s more like a guffaw, really—but Johnny is satisfied. If Jaehyun’s okay with him, then he’s okay too.</p><p>v</p><p>The sweet smell of food that drifts out of the kitchen is enough to make Ten drool, swallowing down his saliva. Not that Johnny is a bad cook, by any means, he’s great! And Ten has really enjoyed his impromptu breakfasts of fancy french cuisine and random american pastries. But this smell is enticing and sweet, the aroma of cooking spices is making his mouth water and Ten wonders who is behind all of this. His stomach churns at the thought of it being Kun, he doesn’t think he could say no to a hot meal right now, even if it’s at the hands of Lord Qian.</p><p>It’s eerily quiet around the house, he wonders if everyone is still fast asleep. He can’t really see much from the outside, unlike in Johnny’s mansion, all the windows here are close shut, not even the thinnest sliver of light is let through. It would make for a melancholic scenery, but all the bright light inside makes up for it so even then, Ten can admit it’s a comfortable place to live in, considering the lavish and modern interior. He rounds the corner into the kitchen and—it is not Kun who greets him, thank god. In fact, the vampire in the kitchen would not greet him at all. This, Ten knows with only a few instances of having met him.</p><p>“Hello,” he coughs into his fist. Dong Sicheng is somewhat of an unknown variable. He’s quiet in that do not bother me kind of way. At the very least, he minds his business. Now, if only he wasn’t Kun’s little henchman.</p><p>He looks up from the bubbling pot that’s heating up on the stove. A slight pause before he opens his mouth. “Hello.” It takes all of Ten’s willpower to not burst out laughing at the sight of the vampire in a frilly cooking apron. It’s pink and everything.</p><p>Sicheng looks at the hot pot, then at Ten.</p><p>Ten grins just in time as his stomach rumbles in hunger. He’d be more embarrassed if he wasn’t dying to try that delicious pot of whatever it is Sicheng is cooking.</p><p>Sicheng frowns, letting out a sigh. “Sit down, I’ll serve you up a plate.”</p><p>Ten obeys, grinning at Sicheng before eyeing the pot in front of him. “What is it?” It smells good, really great. His enhanced sense of smell is useful for once, he can differentiate the smell of spices; soybean, garlic. There’s also chicken and chilli, however, the dish is unfamiliar to Ten.</p><p>“It’s Chicken Pot,” Sicheng says, pouring a spoonful of the soup into a porcelain bowl. “It’s from Wenzhou. My hometown.”</p><p>“Oh,” Ten looks a little in awe at the food. “Thank you, Sicheng!” If anything, Ten is a polite and grateful little vampire.</p><p>Sicheng sits down in front of him, his own bowl steaming with vapor. He eyes Ten with interest as he goes in to take the first slurp.</p><p>Of course, it tastes as good as it smells. He hums in happiness at such delicious food, “This is great.”</p><p>Even though his face tries not to show it, Ten can see the miniscule pull of the lips Sicheng tries to hide, full of pride. Ten gets more spoonfuls of his own before the other decides to do the same. It’s quiet for a few minutes, albeit not uncomfortable; at least it’s a nice pace of change from whatever seems to go on whenever Yangyang and Lucas are in the room.</p><p>He is contemplating on whether he should ask for more food, when Sicheng is the one who speaks up first.</p><p>“He can’t even see the sunlight, you know?”</p><p>Ten looks up, spoon in the air, “Huh?”</p><p>“Kun,” Sicheng continues, “His affliction to the sun is the worst one I’ve ever seen. The worst one any of us have seen.”</p><p>Tough luck? “That’s sad.”</p><p>Sicheng rolls his eyes, putting his empty bowl aside. “That’s why our house is so tightly shut. Not a ray of light can shine through. At all. Kun would probably die.”</p><p>That does seem terrible, if albeit a little dramatic. Johnny gets rashes with sunlight, horrible, bubbly blisters if he steps out into the sun, even if for a few seconds. He wouldn’t—die though, would he?</p><p>“All of us could die if we’re under it for too long,” it’s as if Sicheng’s able to read his mind. Ten shivers. “But Kun would do it instantly. He hasn’t seen the sun since he was bitten,” he murmurs.</p><p>“Are you trying to convince me to give him some of my blood?”</p><p>“No,” he says, “I’m just telling you the reason why he took you from Johnny.”</p><p>“He's desperate.”</p><p>“You could say that,” Sicheng sighs, getting up from his seat to take his dish to the sink, “He’s also just hard-headed.”</p><p>“Considering he kidnapped me I think hard-headed falls a little short.”</p><p>“Look at it however you want,” he says, “I’m not excusing him.”</p><p>“But you are helping him.”</p><p>“Always.”</p><p>Ten retreats back to his room for the rest of the early night, listening as the house slowly wakes up from slumber, Hendery’s voice echoes in the hallway as he hums to some song or another, Lucas’ laugh is loud as he waits for Xiaojun so they can go have breakfast together, and Yangyang—who asks for Ten’s whereabouts, his voice loud enough for Ten to hear even as he is rooms and rooms away.</p><p>It is when Sicheng replies to Yangyang with In his bedroom, that Ten thinks it’s time to flee from the near vicinity, at least for a while. He scurries away in silence before Yangyang comes stomping into the hallway, demanding that he hangs out with him. Ten has figured out that he does not particularly mind Yangyang, but he also doesn’t want to spend all his energy so early in the night. He slinks away through the narrow hallways, unknowing as to where they lead. Most of the doors are closed anyway and Ten isn’t too inclined to hide away in a dusty room that permeates the smell of mothballs.</p><p>So he walks and looks for anything remotely interesting until a breeze of fresh air hits him; there’s a clear door, a little to the left, open and unsupervised.</p><p>He looks to his sides. Is this perhaps a chance for freedom? Would Qian Kun really be so brainless as to leave a door alone so perfect for an escape?</p><p>The answer is no, of course not, and as Ten walks out into the fresh night, it is exactly Qian Kun who he sees as soon as he steps out.</p><p>The other looks up with a raise of the eyebrows, his head turning from where he is strangely kneeling on the patches of grass and dirt. “Wanted some fresh air, I suppose?” he asks.</p><p>“Sure,” Ten replies, hands behind his back. He looks around the area, strangely enough, this looks like a—garden. Carrots and everything.</p><p>Kun has a trowel in hand, soft ungrounded dirt surrounds him and an apron, not unlike the one Sicheng had on earlier, hangs from his neck and around his waist. His hair is just slightly disheveled and his cheeks are stained with dirt, very much looking the part of an earth-loving gardener. Rows of flowers decorate the back of the garden, if it wasn’t so dark outside maybe Ten could recognize them, but right now most of them look like splotches of yellow and red.</p><p>Kun sees him looking around before going back to his own shoveling. “Welcome to my garden.” He doesn’t seem particularly chirpy but there is a slight tilt to his voice, satisfied.</p><p>Ten walks up to him, curious. “What are you doing?”</p><p>Kun lifts up a small bag, shaking it in the air. “I’m planting rosemary and basil. I told you, didn’t I? I grow a lot of my own spices and herbs here.”</p><p>Ten kneels down, inspecting Kun’s work. “A vampire who plants basil. Didn’t expect that one.”</p><p>“You can’t expect much if you don’t know me.”</p><p>“I’m okay with that.”</p><p>Kun is silent as he continues his gardening work and, since Ten doesn’t mind the silence, he decides to stay. He thinks that beats going back inside to the house of screaming Yangyang. He’s never been much for gardening, never really paid attention to it, so he is a bit curious at the whole ordeal; Ten watches as Kun scoops out dark, moist earth, makes small holes, and eventually, places the rosemary cuttings inside. It’s a slow process but Ten finds himself relaxing as he watches on, even wanting to try touching the dirt with his bare hands, it looks soft.</p><p>Gardening is a weird hobby to have for someone who cannot possibly even look at the sun. He supposes the moonlight has to be enough for Kun, a pale substitute, but it makes do. “Can I try?” he asks, pointing to the cutting that’s ready to be planted.</p><p>Kun loops up, blinking once before passing on his trowel to Ten without a word. Ten takes it and continues the task, a little excited at his first planted herb.</p><p>“He shouldn’t have bitten you.” Kun says into the silence.</p><p>Ten stops for a second, looking down at the dirt.</p><p>“He saved my life,” Ten frowns, patting the dirt down. “I didn’t ask him to but I’m still grateful.”</p><p>“Don’t get me wrong, Ten,” he says, “I’m not saying I wish you had died. But being a vampire is not the gift one may think. Although, I suppose, you did beat the odds. You’re special in that regard, your blood is a blessing.”</p><p>“You sound jealous.”</p><p>“Of course I am. Who wouldn’t be? You’re a vampire with human perks. I think you are a perfect specimen, by all means.”</p><p>“Perfect specimen? That’s embarrassing, please do continue.”</p><p>Kun suspires, “Give me the trowel back,” he doesn't wait for Ten to hand it back to him. He looks up at the sky, “Don't misunderstand, I’ve always loved the night sky. I still do.”</p><p>“But one has to warm up the bones.”</p><p>“Very much so.”</p><p>He sits back onto the dirt, taking off his gloves and leaving the packet of cuttings on the side. Ten does the same, sitting next to him. He wonders what time it is right now that the moon is at its highest.</p><p>“Is Johnny your lover?” the question comes at him like a crashing wave, unexpected yet not surprising, he was toeing along the shoreline anyway.</p><p>Ten doesn't look at Kun when he replies. “What makes you ask that?”</p><p>He shrugs, “I’m just wondering. I know he's your Sire and that's why he's being so annoyingly territorial. But there's enough of something else that makes me want to ask.”</p><p>“Well, Qian Kun, I don’t know what to tell you,” Ten considers, “We did have sex right before you kidnapped me.”</p><p>“It was Sicheng who kidnapped you. Technically. And,” He looks back at him, “That doesn't equate to being lovers.”</p><p>“You're right.” Ten concedes, “We're not...lovers, if that's the word you want to use. But I think I’d like to be. Johnny makes me feel—”</p><p>“Safe?”</p><p>“Happy.”</p><p>Kun hums to himself, inspecting the dirt under his fingernails. His skin is even paler than the other vampires, Ten notes, with Jaehyun on par with him. Even if he doesn't look like it, even if he's as strong or as smart as everyone claims to be, Qian Kun is a sickly vampire, one that has a prominent weakness.</p><p>“Be careful with how much you love him,” he says, forcing Ten to finally turn to him. “Being in love with your Sire is not easy, not when they can toss you around like a crumpled piece of paper whenever they want to.”</p><p>Ten frowns at the words. Those are very specific sentiments.</p><p>“I take it you have experience? Are any of them your ex-fledglings?” he vaguely points towards the house. He isn’t too sure how covens work, are all of the members Kun’s doing?</p><p>He shakes his head, “I won’t ever bite anyone, not even if it means I could save their life. I happen to think a little bit more rationally than John Seo.”</p><p>With that, Ten can agree. Johnny is someone who feels, even above rationality. It’s, for the most part, a good trait, or at least a trait Ten finds endearing. Other times, it can just be troublesome but Ten doesn’t have room to talk on the subject. He bites his lips, forcing down a sigh. Nonchalantly, he leans back, looking at the moon.</p><p>“I’ll bite you.”</p><p>Now, it’s Kun’s time to look at him. He raises his eyebrows, “You’ll give me some of your blood?”</p><p>“You do realize it wears off, right? I gave some to Johnny, a big slurp and everything, and by the end of the day it was already waning.”</p><p>“I know,” Kun says, “A day would be enough.” There’s a pause and Ten thinks Kun might look unsure, if he ever could anyway. “Why? I thought you said you were never, ever going to give me some of your blood?”</p><p>Ten shrugs, “I just wanna go home, the bed last night was lumpy. Stop being so whiny and let me bite you.”</p><p>Kun’s eyes widen before looking down at Ten’s lips, at his fangs. There’s silence for a few seconds before he smiles, “Thank you.”</p><p>“Yeah, yeah,” Ten waves him away, slightly embarrassed. He’s doing this because he wants to go home as soon as possible, of course.</p><p>Kun leans forward, exposing his bare neck to Ten and something inside him churns. Something that makes him lick his lips; there’s that same exhilaration that he felt when he bit Johnny.</p><p>He leans forward to meet Kun in the middle as his hot breath hovers over the other’s skin and Ten opens his mouth to bite and—</p><p>“Qian Kun, you motherfucker.”</p><p>Johnny has arrived.</p><p>o.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. the modern bat</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>I came to you one rainless August night.</strong>
  <br/>
  <strong> You taught me how to live without the rain.<br/>You are thirst and thirst is all I know.</strong>
</p><p>- Benjamin Alire Sáenz</p><p>i</p><p>“Johnny! Put on some damn pants first!” Ten yells right before Johnny lunges at Kun. He is naked, completely naked. Perhaps in another context Ten would not mind this but, right now, he is nothing short of mortified.</p><p>Of course, Johnny does not put on pants—either too distracted by his hatred and anger, or he’s just blatantly ignoring a screaming Ten. Or both, which seems too plausible.</p><p>“Oh, my, this is too good, too good,” Doyoung cackles next to Ten, also naked. “Dear, take out the Kodak camera, this is going on our album.”</p><p>Jaehyun scrambles to get something from his non-existent pocket, wide-eyed at the spectacle in front of them. Surely their priority must be putting on some clothes first, not taking pictures of Johnny trying to gnaw Kun’s eyes out!</p><p>“Johnny,” Ten tries again, “Stop it!”</p><p>It doesn’t take long for the garden door to fly open with a slam. Sicheng and Hendery stand at the threshold, looking at the scene in front of them. With Johnny on top of Kun, hissing and trying to bite off his neck, it doesn’t take long for Sicheng to bring out his fangs as well, eyes scarlet red and angry.</p><p>And fuck, fuck, fuck, Johnny could not possibly handle both Kun and Sicheng, especially if Sicheng attacks him from behind. He’s about to yell something, anything, when a deep, strong—truthfully scary—hiss sounds from behind him.</p><p>Ten turns around to find Jaehyun, still naked, stepping in between Sicheng and Johnny, who is still unaware of anything going on behind his back. Ten think this is utterly insane, he just wants everyone to put on some fucking pants.</p><p>He sighs, a genuine and tried sigh that may the heavens hear, and turns around, deciding to let Jaehyun and Sicheng deal with whatever thing they got going on. There’s Doyoung, at least, surely he’ll be keeping an eye on his husband.</p><p>Then, he turns to the mess of limbs that is still fighting on the floor, he doesn’t even know what is happening anymore, but Kun might be trying to get out of Johnny’s grip by kicking him in the balls. It seems like a dangerous fight to approach, but it is then, as Ten is exasperated and stressed out of his mind, that he remembers he’s not a frail little human anymore—he’s a pretty powerful vampire. Sure, he’s a rookie, but he needs to get some practice on the field, right?</p><p>Ten doesn’t think twice before throwing himself at both Johnny and Kun, physically trying to separate them. At once, he feels Johnny’s muscles tense for a moment before he goes pliant. He’s still trying to grab Kun's throat though, and the other looks nothing like he did just a few minutes before Johnny arrived—he’s feral, his teeth sharp and fearsome.</p><p>Without thinking much of it, Ten grabs at Kun’s collar, throwing him on top of a patch of grass. He looks back at Johnny, mouth upturned in anger. “His whole coven is right there, Johnny, do you wanna get <em>mauled</em> by all of them? Do you even think?”</p><p>“He kidnapped you, Ten,” Johnny snarls but he's not looking at Ten, he’s staring down at Kun, who no doubt is doing the same.</p><p>“Put on some pants first, why are you letting everyone see your bare ass?”</p><p>Johnny’s shoulders sag for a second, the clouded haze over his eyes dissipating. “Okay.”</p><p>Kun looks at Johnny with disdain as the other walks back to the entrance, Ten thinks Johnny <em>should</em> be feeling embarrassed for this. But then again, he doesn’t think it’s proper to give Kun any type of satisfaction either.</p><p>He turns to look at him, a smug look on his face, arms crossed, “I told you he would come for me, didn’t I? I guess Johnny is just that awesome. How long did it take him? A day?”</p><p>“Took them longer than expected,” Kun shrugs, dusting himself off. “And he had Jung Jaehyun with them, hardly fair.”</p><p>“Perfect timing, I should say.”</p><p>“He was naked. Doyoung and Jaehyun were too.”</p><p>“Not everyone is perfect, Qian Kun. Johnny comes close.”</p><p>“I would be careful if I were you, it’d be embarrassing if he heard you say that,” Kun smiles at him, eyes, for once, shining.</p><p>“It would,” Ten says, wide-eyed, “A little piece of advice, oh great vampire lord. Don’t ever give a man the upper-hand, don’t let him know you like him as much as you do.”</p><p>“That’s great advice, I hope you follow it.” Kun says.</p><p>“Ten,” Johnny says from behind them, “I have clothes now.”</p><p>Ten, like a deer caught in headlights, turns around, “Clothes! That’s great! How long were you standing there? I was just telling Kun your mansion is bigger than his.”</p><p>“I just got here,” Johnny says, looking from Ten to Kun. Kun, who is watching them with raised eyebrows, unimpressed. Johnny says, still sounding miffed, “I bet it is.”</p><p>“I still want to claw his eyes out,” Johnny continues, “I bet if I killed him the council wouldn’t care, not after he broke the rules.”</p><p>“Oh, the council would care, Johnny. So go ahead, really, it’d be a satisfaction if you get killed by uncle Chenle, even if it’s at the expense of my own life.”</p><p>Johnny glowers at him, fists clenched and veins beginning to bulge again. Ten surges forward again, “Listen to me, Johnny. We are going to leave this place, safe and sound, and you are not going to fight Kun and he’s not going to fight you, ok? No more problems.”</p><p>“He kidnapped you!”</p><p>“It was only a day, really,” Hendery, who is now in the garden with the rest of the coven, interrupts.</p><p>“A fun day,” Yangyang adds, looking displeased, “But very short. Ten, you gotta come back and play more monopoly with us. Sicheng will cook for you again and everything.”</p><p>Ten doesn’t have the heart to tell Yangyang no, so he nods, sparing a glance at Sicheng, who doesn’t look back, too focused on Johnny’s movements in case he decides to attack. “Right, right, I will, I promise.”</p><p>“And something else, Johnny Seo,” he turns to look up at him, staring him dead in the eye and hoping that Johnny can feel all the seriousness in his bones. “I’m going to give Qian Kun some of my blood. And I’m not really asking you.”</p><p>“<em>Ten,</em>” Johnny says, nose scrunching, “You don’t have to do it, Kun is just an asshole that doesn’t take no for an answer. He shouldn’t have kidnapped you and you shouldn’t give him anything.”</p><p>“I know,” Ten waves, “But it’s whatever. Just a little bit of my blood, I got a lot of it anyway.” Even from far away Ten can see the way the eyes of the coven members shine as he speaks, “Besides, I can’t imagine living without the thing you love the most,” Ten turns to Kun, “Even if you’re an asshole about it.”</p><p>Kun doesn't say anything, doesn't blink—just stares at Ten wordlessly as he walks up to him, feet padding against the grass, the moon in its highest peak. Kun’s coven is still there, unmoving. He can feel Johnny’s body tense next to him, but, as Jaehyun and Doyoung walk up next to him, Ten doesn't think he’ll cause trouble again.</p><p>Without much thought, Ten bites into Kun’s alabaster neck. Two perfect punctures against his skin and the other doesn't let out a single sound, a contrast to Johnny’s vocal self. Still, the feeling of his blood rushing through Kun is the same as the one he felt with Johnny, it's an exhilarating feeling of control and power over the other. Like a piece of Ten is now inside Kun, coursing through him.</p><p>Kun may say nothing, but Ten can still feel him tense under the grip he has on his shoulder, he can still feel his body gravitate to his, like a magnet. He wonders if this is how Johnny felt when he first bit into him or if being a Sire feels much different than this.</p><p>“Not so bad,” he says into Kun’s neck, moving away from him. Kun remains stoic, not a single sound coming out of him. Yet, Ten can recognize the haze in his eyes, a gloss over them that is <em>loud</em>, almost screaming.</p><p>Qian Kun, still, says nothing.</p><p>"Ok, surely we can go now," Johnny says, walking up to them. Jaehyun and Doyoung roll their eyes in unison but Ten looks up at Johnny and smiles—big, radiant grin that forms crinkles near his eyes. He knew Johnny would come get him, he never once had a single doubt.</p><p>"Yeah," he says, "Let's go home." He needs a nap.</p><p>He takes Johnny's hand, a strong grip that tightens as he interlaces with Ten's fingers, it feels right and Ten wonders how did Johnny Seo manage to crawl into his life so quickly and deeply. Johnny smiles back, finally.</p><p>Before Ten can take a step, Kun, who is still holding onto him, leans forward, quickly. It happens like a breeze of cold air, like the same breeze that freezes hell whenever Qian Kun steps into the room. Johnny's grip tightens again but Ten doesn't move.</p><p>
  <em>Thank you.</em>
</p><p>It's soft, only meant for Ten's ears.</p><p>Ten smiles at Qian Kun, genuine.</p><p>ii</p><p>“We gotta talk,” Ten says as he closes the door behind him. The mahogany doors close with more force than necessary, even if he didn’t mean to. The scent of Johnny’s mansion is nothing if comforting, like lemon and lavender and wood anemone.</p><p>“We do,” Johnny nods, his hair sticking to his forehead and his eyes tired. He still hasn’t asked how the hell did he manage to find Ten, but Johnny looks worse for wear—not that anyone could tell, his clothes are still expensive and ridiculous and he looks great, for the most part.</p><p>He doesn’t remember the way to Kun’s mansion being longer than perhaps ten minutes, and neither did the way back, as they were escorted by Xiaojun, but something tells Ten Johnny had a different experience trying to find his way to him.</p><p>“Ok, you go first,” Ten waves at him. He’s dying to go to bed, but something about his conversations with Kun have made him itchy from the inside.</p><p>Johnny nods as they walk to the living room, where the scent of wood anemone is strongest. He walks wordlessly before stopping completely without sitting down, Ten wonders why Johnny is so dramatic.</p><p>“I don’t think we should be together,” he lets out at once, not looking at Ten. “Assuming that’s what you wanted when we… you know.”</p><p>“When we what?”</p><p>“<em>You know</em>.” Johnny looks at him, clearly distressed, eyes shaking, he hisses, “When I bedded you.”</p><p>Ten’s brain short-circuits for a moment, his mind in two places at once. On one hand, he has never tried this hard to not burst out laughing in someone’s face. He feels his face go red but he thinks he’s managing to look as serious as he can, breath still. He thinks, aside from Johnny’s ridiculous spew, this might also be a defense mechanism to what he thinks Johnny is trying to say.</p><p>“Why are you laughing?” Johnny looks affronted.</p><p>“Baby, you didn’t bed me, I bedded <em>you</em>.”</p><p>“<em>Ten.</em>”</p><p>“No, no, wait,” Ten continues, taking a step towards Johnny, his smaller stature meaning nothing in that moment as Johnny looks down at him. “Say that again? That we shouldn’t be together?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Johnny’s look betrays him, sounding more confused than what his words might tell.</p><p>“Ok,” Ten crosses his arms, sniffing in subtle indignation.</p><p>Johnny remains unmoving, looking at Ten’s tense body. “Aren’t you gonna ask me why?”</p><p>“For what?” Ten looks back at him.</p><p>“I—”</p><p>“So you’re basically telling me that you stalked me, then turned me into a vampire, then made me fall in love with you, then had sex with me and now you’re just telling me to scram it? <em>Do you know how fucked up that is?</em>”</p><p>“Ten—”</p><p>“No, <em>Johnny</em>,” he takes another step forward, “You’re stupid, that’s what you are.”</p><p>“See?” Johnny doesn’t back down, “You just said it, Ten. I feel like I’ve given you no free will. Don’t I have too much control over you? I never asked if you wanted to come here, I never asked if you wanted to stay with me.”</p><p>Ten stays silent, his gleaming red eyes sharp and upset. How dumb can an immortal being be?</p><p>“Yes, and guess what? You also didn’t fucking ask me what it was I wanted to say a few minutes ago,” he raises his voice, jabbing a finger at Johnny’s chest, his silk shirt damp and sticky with sweat.</p><p>“What did you want to say?” he says, more exasperated than anything.</p><p>“I,” he takes yet another step towards him, this time Johnny takes a step back, backing into the wall, “Was going to ask you to be my boyfriend.”</p><p>“Oh.”</p><p>“Yeah, well. Thanks for the rejection, sir.” He steps back, eyes still on fire but shoulders sagged. “Whatever. I’ll be in my room.”</p><p>“Wait, Ten—”</p><p>Ten does not wait, scrambling away from Johnny’s touch.</p><p>iii</p><p>The starting notes of <em>Smells Like Teen Spirit</em> reverberate throughout the room, loud as the windows in Johnny’s bedroom shake with each vibration. In all honesty, Johnny doesn’t really understand the meaning of the song; he does not know what <em>Hello, Hello, Hello, How Low </em>means at all. It sounds poetic and sad and it makes him want to scream and cry into his pillow. So that’s what he does.</p><p>It’s cathartic to just scream like a madman along with the lead singer. Johnny thinks it sounds like heartbreak, like him. He's such a Nirvana fan now, they're all he has in his life now (Johnny doesn't know it yet but 1993 is not a good year to be a Nirvana fan).</p><p>Is he in love with Ten? Yeah, absolutely. Somewhere along the way, Ten became more than just the pretty human Johnny used to watch once in a while, he stopped being the human who he saved from death, the human he bit, his fledgling. He thinks Ten is still those things, of course, but he is also simply Ten, whom Johnny loves. Ten, who eats almost everything and anything, Ten, who shines like the sunshine that can touch his skin. Ten, who radiates joy wherever he goes, who makes Johnny happy with his music cassettes and dance choreographies and loud jokes and even louder laughs. Ten, who shines so brightly and makes Johnny feel good, who is afraid of being alone, who is afraid of death and likes to hold tightly onto him when they sleep together. Ten, who is not afraid of flimsy old vampires in expensive clothes, who helps the most bastard of them all be a little happier in life. Johnny loves Ten, dearly and with his whole dead heart.</p><p>“Maybe I fucked up,” Johnny coughs as he drinks from his wine glass and the song plays again on loop, tears staining his cheeks with wet traces. “Maybe I do want to be his boyfriend.”</p><p>He definitely does, he is not even kidding himself.</p><p>“I hate life,” he finishes the wine, tightening his robe close to his chest.</p><p>It’s been roughly half a night since he and Ten had their fight and Johnny is feeling like shit. He wonders how he’s been reduced to this puddle of pathetic, crying, Nirvana-loving goo. He knows Ten is rummaging through the mansion without a care in the world, perhaps being a little too loud on purpose as he walks across the hallway, making his presence known. Maybe it’s for the better, Johnny doesn’t want to see him at all right now. He doesn’t understand what he’s feeling besides obvious despair and regret—maybe he’s embarrassed, maybe he just doesn’t want to face an upset Ten, and maybe, Johnny can also be very proud. It’s in his nature, really, just because he has a soft spot for Ten doesn’t mean his prideful sense of self is gone.</p><p>His stomach growls, not for the first time in the past hour, and Johnny frowns at his empty wine bottle, looking at it with sadness and longing. He needs to get some blood bags from the kitchen. How pitiful is it that he’s being cornered and caged in his own room, this whole mansion is his, not Ten’s!</p><p>“That’s right,” he tightens the strap on his robe, putting his glass down the sleek bedside drawer. “This is my place. And I’m hungry.”</p><p>He tries to fix his hair, and rub his eyes, hoping they don’t look irritated.</p><p>For all the mighty shit he spews, Johnny scurries across the hallway, padding softly and hoping he doesn’t make a sound. If all goes well, Ten is probably in his room and they won’t have to even see each other.</p><p>“Hello, Johnny,” Ten says as soon as he steps into the kitchen. He eyes Johnny up and down as he slurps from his mug, “You look worse for wear. I guess life’s not treating you well since our break-up.”</p><p>“What break-up?” he mumbles, making his way to the fridge and taking out some blood. He doesn’t even bother pouring it out, just punctures the plastic and drinks from it.</p><p>“You’re right, you’re right,” Ten looks at his nails with a yawn. He’s looking far too relaxed and fresh and Johnny drinks his blood bag quicker, taking out a few extra ones to take to his room. “Listen,” Ten says, “Can you lower the volume of your music? It’s incredibly rude and you’ve been looping that same song for hours.”</p><p>How dare he! It was Ten who showed him that song in the first place! It’s Ten who’s usually blaring Madonna in the wee hours of the day and Johnny has to put up with it all the time. “Actually, no.” Johnny says out of pettiness, “You can wear some of my ear fluff if you’re so troubled by my music.”</p><p>He doesn’t let Ten finish his sentence before he saunters out of the kitchen.</p><p>“How dare he,” Ten mutters under his breath, munching on his Trix cereal. “I was the one who told him about Nirvana.”</p><p>It doesn’t take long for the music to start playing again and Ten wants to bang his head against the table.</p><p>How is he feeling? Fucking embarrassed, for starters. Being rejected and all that does something to the ego of a man. Especially if said man is Ten Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul, who’s never once been rejected by anyone on earth before. These pesky vampires really think they’re something, huh?</p><p>He puts his bowl in the dishwasher with more force than necessary, not bothering to wash anything, Johnny can do that later after he’s done doing whatever it is he’s doing. Ten just wants to go back to what <em>he</em> was doing—laying in bed and overthinking every single interaction he’s ever had with Johnny until the pit of his stomach hurts and his heart clenches in dreary melancholy and he’s got no option to distract himself but by pulling one.</p><p>With all the fashion, the eyeliner and the dramatics, Ten thinks being a vampire really suits him after all. Eternally pathetic and untannable.</p><p>He slams the door to his room, wishing Johnny would hear him above the noise even though it’s a moot point with all the blaring grunge vocals in the background.</p><p>Now what is he supposed to do? Wait out his fledgling state here in this stupid mansion with stupid Johnny until he gets kicked out? And then what? Go back to his apartment and go on about his life, maybe go back to the club he used to work at and ask back for the job he surely lost a few weeks ago? Technically Ten could go back to how life was, before the bite and the death and the rebirth and all that, he can live with sunlight so he can live as a human as well. Just a little blood in the morning and everything is good.</p><p>But how can he go back? Because nothing is like before, and it has nothing to do with his shiny new fangs or his scary red eyes or his thirst for blood or his nightly schedule. He can deal with that. The before and after has a name—Johnny Seo, who crawled under Ten’s skin with his perfect disposition and loud laugh and soft touches. Ten would rather die again than to ever admit to Johnny his eyes lingered on him a little too long back at the club, that he always looked forward to one of his favorite regulars, the one who always asked him for strange drinks that only Ten liked to make. They were vintage ones, particular ones fit for someone with an odd-taste in the unique, an old soul.</p><p>“One hundred years old,” Ten says, eyes becoming slits. “<em>Ancient.</em>”</p><p>“He’s just immature, a baby, really,” Johnny says from the room adjacent, a frown adorning his face. “We can’t expect much from someone who’s lived two decades. Right? What does Ten know about the world?”</p><p>What does <em>Johnny </em>know about the world? What can life teach to a vampire?</p><p>“Stop thinking,” he says to himself, “You’re gonna start crying again, Johnny.” He wishes alcohol would inhibit him faster, it’s getting kind of lame drinking so much and not feeling a single ounce of anything.</p><p>He turns the volume up. “And how do I tell him he’s not a fledgling anymore?” Maybe he should’ve told him before but the opportunity after Kun’s kidnapping took a toll on him. He’d notice it on their way back home, though—there’s a smell, a particular one that filled Johnny’s nostrils as soon as he took notice of it. The smell of an adult vampire. Of course, with everything in his mind and all the drama afterward, there wasn’t much he could do to tell Ten. And now he doesn’t want to. He doesn’t even want to <em>think </em>about Ten right now. His anguish has soon turned into vexation, perhaps even resentment.</p><p>Of course, this is easier said than done. Especially when he can <em>feel </em>Ten’s aura in the room next to him.</p><p>Maybe Johnny can leave for a few days? A little vacation time for himself, maybe visit Mark for a while, go see how he’s doing in the Alps. Or maybe try and spend some quality time with Jaehyun, he feels like they need it after their rough patch. Never again! He doesn’t like fighting his best friend.</p><p>He tries distracting himself with these mindless thoughts even if the heavy feeling of <em>Ten,</em> so dark and enticing is right next to him. At this point, Johnny doesn’t know how to feel. He’s sad, he’s angry, he’s in love, he’s frustrated, he’s—</p><p>The sound of the door opens, slamming against the wall, or at least that’s what Johnny thinks it sounds like. Before he can even realize what’s happening, the door to his own room opens in the same way, flinging wildly as Ten comes in with furious red eyes staring at Johnny.</p><p>“Stop playing this damn song!” he yells, “It’s been fucking hours, let me think in peace.”</p><p>“What thinking!” he says back, sitting up, voice just as loud to compensate for the fact Ten is standing up and looking down at him. “You’re not thinking, I’ll stop playing my music when you stop masturbating! I can hear it all the way from here.”</p><p>“<em>What?</em>”</p><p>“I can <em>feel </em>it, you lustful man. You forgot I can just feel your emotions, didn’t you?”</p><p>“Well,” Ten doesn’t back down, “Then what good is that if you can’t tell how I’ve been feeling?”</p><p>“I thought you were doing okay,” he finally stands up, using his height to gain momentum in the discussion. Somehow, it doesn’t work with Ten, it never does. Ten’s bigger than what his body allows him. “Super dandy and everything. Just drinking blood and jerking off while I’m in here bawling my eyes out.”</p><p>“You don’t get to cry and be pathetic, Johnny Seo,” he adds, “<em>You </em>were the one who rejected me. It’s <em>you </em>who doesn’t want us together for whatever fucking reason.” This Ten seems different from the one from a few hours ago, Johnny can tell in the tilt of his voice, raspy—his strained neck and the way his face turns pink, his eyes somehow becoming a darker shade of red. Ten is always passionate, right now it’s a side of him that Johnny has never met. He’s angry, he’s desperate, he’s—sad. And fuck everything if Johnny ever makes Ten feel sad.</p><p>“I do want you.” He says, “I <em>do</em> want you.” Is there anything more right than laughing with Ten, than dancing with Ten? Than having him feel his barely warm touch next to his, slowly beating along with Johnny’s? When was he ever as happy as when he stood under the sunlight, Ten by his side? Has he ever ached for something or someone as much as he aches for Ten?</p><p>“Johnny, why?” It’s like the fight in him vanishes, Ten’s shoulders sagging. “If you don’t like me that’s ok, but I know you do so what’s the point in this?”</p><p>It’s in the way Ten looks up at him that Johnny is reminded of the human of back then—never frail, even if mortal, always encompassing more life than Johnny and any other vampire he knows ever could. Even now, as he’s one of them, even if he’s dead—he’s more alive than any human out there. “Are you still scared of being alone?” he whispers, reaching out to touch his chin, softly grazing his fingers against Ten’s unmarred skin.</p><p>Ten looks back at him, eyes open and, never unblinking, reflecting the dim light above them, letting his head be guided by Johnny’s touch, pliant in a way he never is, “Yes.”</p><p>“Is that why you wanna be with me?”</p><p>“No.” It takes him no time to answer, “I want to be with you because I love you, that's just the way it is. I’d still be with you even if you told me you’d die tomorrow.” He asks back, “Do <em>you </em>want to be with me because you’re lonely? Or because you want someone to always remember you?”</p><p>“No,” he says. It’s true. He wants to be with Ten because he loves him. He lands a kiss on the corner of Ten’s lips, “It could go awfully wrong. We could be in each other’s throats in a month.”</p><p>“What?” he smiles, “I give it at the very least two months, don’t be pessimistic.”</p><p>“Three tops?”</p><p>“Three tops.” And Ten’s laugh is the fucking brightest sound he’s heard in both of his lifetimes. “<em>Besides,</em> we’re immortal, Johnny Seo. We got pretty much eternity to figure it out. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. Who knows? Maybe in two years I’ll be living in Paris with three husbands and a lot of money, and you’ll be totally forgotten.”</p><p>“Sounds too accurate.” Johnny frowns but it’s soon taken away when Ten kisses him back, his hands wrapping around the back of his head and he can’t think of anything else but <em>Ten Ten Ten, </em>and it’s like time stops - in a life where time is nothing, in that moment, it halts - Johnny’s heart pounds against his chest in a way that’s strange for his vampire nature, a wash of hunger taking over him. His mind nearly blanks out when Ten kisses back just as fervently and maybe this is really what love feels like.</p><p>Johnny doesn’t know, maybe this isn’t love, maybe the hold that loneliness has had in his heart has been there for too long. He doesn’t know - but he wants to find out. Even more so when Ten smiles against the kiss, his fangs peeking out, “Can you stop playing Nirvana now? I got a new Madonna cassette that I’ve been dying to put on.”</p><p>i</p><p>
  <strong> <em>2020, Seoul, South Korea</em> </strong>
</p><p>“<em>Johnny,</em> <em>hurry up,</em>” Ten drags him along the winding, busy street of Seoul, their hands clasped together tightly, familiar.</p><p>“You know, they’re not going anywhere,” he replies with a roll of eyes but it’s in good nature.</p><p>“They’re not going to wait for us, you know how those assholes are,” he says, Ten’s black sweater covering up half of his face, his nose red from the early winter weather. The sun has set by now, the sky dark and the street lamps lighting up downtown. Right now, his legs ache. Ten likes shopping and sight-seeing too much sometimes and it is, of course, Johnny who has to trail behind him, ever-present by Ten’s side. If he buys a little too much as well then sue him, he’s old money anyway.</p><p>As they round a corner, off from the main street, the crowd seems to stay behind, only a few scattered people walking this way. It’s an expensive street, Johnny admits, he can’t even imagine how high the rent must be around these parts. “We should look into renting an apartment around here,” Ten muses, still guiding him, both knowing the way to their destination like the back of their hands.</p><p>“Hm,” he hums, “I like our place now. And we still have the mansion. And the vacation home in The States. Also, I don’t want to live near Yuta. Too annoying.”</p><p>“Yeah, well. My cats need a bigger place to sleep in, Johnny.”</p><p>“They have a whole <em>room </em>in the apartment.”</p><p>“So? We can afford it.”</p><p>“We’ll talk about it later.”</p><p>Ten blows hair away from his face, too determined and Johnny’s scared he’ll be able to convince him into doing something so ridiculous - like buying a whole damn place for two tiny cats. Sometimes he thinks Ten is a little too spoiled.</p><p>“Do you think I can bite Louis and Leon?” he says instead as they walk into a posh lobby.</p><p>The doorman throws them a subtle glance, as if questioning what a hoodie-wearing man and his short, goth boyfriend are doing in this area. Johnny supposes clothes do make a person. Maybe if this doorman knew Johnny’s Vetements hoodies are more expensive than his silk shirts he wouldn't even spare them a glance.</p><p>“Why would you want to bite your cats?” He doubts Ten’s sanity.</p><p>“Well, they’re not immortal,” Ten looks fearful, wide-eyed, “Louis is already looking worse for wear and he’s only a year old. I’ve been thinking about biting him. Have you heard of vampire cats? Maybe Louis can bite Leon himself.”</p><p>“What if you bite him and he dies? You should wait a few years.”</p><p>“You have a point,” Ten seems pensive, “Maybe I can do it when he’s old and about to die. Can’t wait, I feel like it’ll be cool, Johnny.”</p><p>“Yeah, I guess vampire cats do sound pretty sick, actually.”</p><p>They both nod in thought as the elevator takes them up to the highest floor. Yuta does seem to live in decadence, even by vampire standards. Next to him, Ten seems jittery, his left leg moving up and down the way he does when he’s nervous or excited. Johnny smiles without the other noticing, tightening his hold on Ten’s arm.</p><p>Johnny doesn’t mention it again when Ten drags him across the carpeted hallway and through a single glass door that no one bothered to lock. “Yuta!” Ten calls as both of them stand in front of the threshold, waiting.</p><p>“You can come in!” Yuta calls back and Ten and Johnny take a step inside at the same time.</p><p>There’s already a few voices coming from inside, and it takes no preamble for Ten to join in before they can even see the owners of the voices. “Where are they?” he says, letting go of Johnny’s hand. Johnny, of course, feels a little miffed at his now cold hand, an inward pout as he puts his hands in the pockets of his pants.</p><p>When he walks into the living room, the most familiar faces greet him. It is then that Johnny realizes perhaps he needs to find new people to mingle with - not that he willingly mingles with any of the Children besides Jaehyun, but how many years has it been? Too many for Johnny’s taste.</p><p>“Well, hello, Johnny Seo. Ten,” Taeyong smiles, his smile sweet and his earrings golden.</p><p>“Hey,” Johnny waves at him before scuffling next to Jaehyun, who gives him a pat on the back with a humorous smile. As always, Doyoung is next to him, arms crossed, black hair gelled up and revealing his forehead. He looks okay after he cleans up, Johnny supposes.</p><p>“Kun!” Ten says almost as soon as he spots the vampire, making a beeline straight to his—friend. Best friend.</p><p>Johnny wants to gag but turns to look at Taeyong instead. “So? Where are they?”</p><p>“Shouldn’t we wait for the Elders?” Doyoung raises an eyebrow, “It’s them who are supposed to be assessing anyway.”</p><p>“They’re always late,” Jungwoo slides next to them, sweet smile in place, “Let’s just see them. I want to adopt one.”</p><p>“Ah, <em>ah,</em>” Taeyong chastises, “One’s mine. Yuta’s taking the other.”</p><p>“You guys are so weird,” Ten walks up to them, arm looped around Qian Kun’s. “I just wanna meet them. Say hello and show off my fangs,” Johnny almost wants to laugh at how enthusiastic Ten is being. With good reason, this is the first time since—</p><p>“Hey—! You little brat, come back here!” Yuta calls from a room far into the house. Before Johnny can react, a tall boy comes running into the living room, socked feet sliding against the linoleum floor. His hair is all over the place, much like a bird’s nest. After him, Yuta comes running, his once elegant demeanor now reduced to a flailing mess with bags under his eyes. And after Yuta, a shorter boy walks behind him, more curious at the outburst than anything.</p><p>“<em>Sungchan,</em>” Taeyong says, rubbing at his temples, “We told you to wait inside, the Elders aren’t here yet.”</p><p>“Shotaro,” Yuta looks behind him, “You too! You were just dying to come out here, weren’t you, brat?”</p><p>“Shotaro? Sungchan?” Jungwoo tilts his head to the side, smile never faltering, “You’re the new vampires?”</p><p>Sungchan looks back at him, smiling back. Who is this child and why is he so tall? Johnny makes sure to stand a little taller, arching his back. From the corner of his eye, he can see Jaehyun and Doyoung do the same.</p><p>Taeyong sighs and turns to them, and now that Johnny is paying more attention, he can see the carefully placed makeup under Taeyong’s yes. “Children, these are the newly turned vampires, Sungchan and Shotaro.” Both boys smile, waving at them. Taeil and Jungwoo wave back, the rest of them awkwardly hover around them.</p><p>It takes exactly twenty seconds for Ten to join them. “Oh dear. Oh dear. I’m not the youngest one anymore,” he turns to look at the rest of the Children with revenge in his eyes. “How long has it been? Thirty years? It’s been thirty damn years.”</p><p>“Why are you blaming us?” Doyoung says unamused, “You could’ve bitten someone.”</p><p>“No, he could <em>not,</em>” Johnny stresses, walking up to Ten and placing a hand on his shoulder. He hopes Ten doesn’t mention anything about the vampire cats. “Anyway,” he turns to the new fledglings, “Hello.”</p><p>“We should’ve waited until the Elders got here, but,” Yuta <em>tsks, </em>“They're a handful.”</p><p>“We could babysit them,” Ten adds and Johnny sees his life flash before his eyes. All one hundred and thirty years of life and death. “You know, when you and Taeyong want a little break you could just send them to us. Johnny and I? We’re the <em>cool </em>uncles.”</p><p>He supposes they are, if the other options the poor fledglings have consist of Doyoung and Jaehyun. Or god forbid, Kun and Sicheng. “Right, cool uncles.” Johnny says, “We’ll feed you blood pudding.”</p><p>“That sounds disgusting,” Sungchan says, “I’m in.”</p><p>In the great scheme of things, thirty years isn’t a lot. Sure, he’s older, a little wiser. A little cooler now—you would not believe how much technology has changed since the 90s. Smart phones? Changed his whole damn life. Do you know how cool it is to listen to Nirvana whenever and where you want? It’s life-changing! In such a short amount of time, things have come and gone, buildings have been built, people have passed away, new music has been made (have you ever heard something as good as Coldplay? My Chemical Romance? Green Day? The amount of music Johnny has in his library is astronomical). And yet, amongst all these changes and ever-changing time whirlwinds, Johnny remains fairly the same, with sharp fangs and eternal red eyes. He still can’t come in without being invited, he will never know the taste of garlic bread, he will never wear silver rings nor see his reflection in the mirror. None of them will.</p><p>He’s still undead and pale and needs blood to survive and that’s okay with Johnny.</p><p>“Ten,” he whispers to his dearest, leaning in close to the shell of his ear as everyone surrounds Yuta and Taeyong and the two fledglings. Ten, who had been too absorbed in the conversation, turns to him with bright eyes, never dimming with the sweet fire within them. “Hm?” he says.</p><p>“You look pretty tonight,” he says with a smile.</p><p>Ten’s eyes widen for a fraction of a second and Johnny revels in that moment, it is unusual to catch him so off-guard. However, it takes no time for Ten to grin back, smile forming crescent crinkles in his eyes. “I know.”</p><p>Johnny laughs, taking Ten’s hand in his as they both turn to look at the newly turned vampires.</p><p>He’s found happiness, he thinks—real, unadulterated happiness, one that smells like sunshine and tastes of blood. Johnny really is a sucker for Ten.</p><p>o.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>
  <span class="small"> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yG60iRJwmfA">sucker</a></span>
</p><p> </p><p>  <span class="small">thank you all so much for reading!! please feel free to drop kudos or comments!! and you can always check out to the playlist <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6DOdJOSD07hS33nm26MoJO?si=3w_Pzvd-RyS8fNEADkTf2g">playlist</a> i listened to while writing sucker!!</span><br/><span class="small">i am also on <a href="https://twitter.com/ten_taeil">twitter</a> and <a href="https://curiouscat.me/nakamoon">curious cat</a>!! </span></p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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